Ashes To Ashes
by Rebellion of the Kat
Summary: The bereavement of a loved one can be experienced in many ways. Some go through depression, some accept their loss and some try to forget. When Sarah loses her mother she does something that no other human could do. She turns to the Labyrinth.
1. Funeral

**UPDATE: I ask that you do NOT read this story, and instead read Labyrinth: Ashes to Ashes which is the remastered version. You can find it on my profile. Its basically the same story but 100 times better. Thanks a lot - RotK :)  
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The sky was dismal shade of melancholy grey. All that lay ahead was a thick foggy haze which seemed to lead into the sunken ambience of depression. The young woman's footsteps echoed along the abandoned streets. No light radiated her bare ashen skin as the clouds secreted the desolate sun. She dressed in a morose black frock which wafted in the light wind. A matching black bonnet covered the sorrow of her eyes so that her pale porcelain face could barely be distinguished. She continued to hurry down the streets frantically as if she was heading to a place that she would rather not go. The pace of her stride kept in perfect rapidity until she finally stopped and stood at a large black gate.

"Sarah?" said a mans voice.

The girl looked up, she looked neither happy nor sad to see the man who also wore black. She nodded her head slightly.

"I…I'm sorry" he hesitated as he put his hand in her shoulder.

After a brief moment they both walked through he large gate where they joined a number of others who lingered outside of the local church. Many of them stared at Sarah like they had never seen her before. She was aware of this and kept her head bowed down at all times. It was like she did not want to be noticed, or spoken to.

Throughout the service she acted with grace and dignity. She did not cry or weep, not even when watched the coffin disappear behind the curtains but sat there with a cheerless expression. When the vicar said his last words the crowd of mourners slowly paced out of the church. They watched as Sarah walked away without saying a word to any of them. They did not know what she was really feeling. Was she upset? Was she angry? Was she confused? They did not know. But they knew that she was fragile and did not want to disturb the girl. Sarah walked back down the streets, retracing her steps with the exact same pace and posture as before.

* * *

Meanwhile, Karen Williams sat nervously in the living room chair. Her worried expression was evident as she chewed on her fingernails. Behind her anxiety one could see that there was a stern, assertive woman, but her confidence was overridden by her troubled eyes and fidgety stance. A breeze swept across the room as the front door opened. Karen leapt up out of her seat and quickly walked over to the door where she saw Sarah standing there, still with no expression. Karen stood there for what seemed like minutes, not knowing what to say. She showed pity in her face as she gently touched her shoulder.

"How was it?" she asked sympathetically.

Sarah looked up at her. It was clear that she did not want to speak but also did not want to appear discourteous.

"I'd rather not talk about it." she spoke softly.

"Oh dear you look dismayed, you should have let me come with you. No girl should have to attend their mothers funeral alone" said Karen.

"No, it's fine, I wanted to go alone. Besides I hardly knew my mother anyway" said Sarah as she took off her hat and walked into the living room slouching on the couch as Karen followed.

"But still, it's not a nice thing to have to go through. She paused for a second, "was _he _there?" she asked.

Sarah nodded her head and Karen sighed.

"I'll go and make you a nice hot tea alright." said Karen as she walked off into the kitchen.

Sarah huffed. She wiped her sleepy eyes with her hands. She did not look like girl who had just been to her mothers funeral as her expression seemed to be rather careless and impassive, almost worryingly so. Her eyes darted around the room looking for something to do or read. She pulled out a couple of books that were in reach from the nearby shelf. Carelessly flicking through the pages of Virginia Andrews and Chicken Soup for the Soul she was about to give up on the books until something seemed to capture her attention. Her hands slowly reached for the remaining book that lay on her lap as she caressed the leather bindings. She looked fascinated by it as if she had never seen the book before. The title read 'The Truth In Mythology' and was stitched into the leather with gold embroidery. She opened the book which revealed thin pages that looked old and discoloured. As she flicked through the she saw many hand-drawn pictures of different kinds of mythical beasts; centaurs, unicorns, dragons, mermaids, the list goes on. She stopped when she got to a particular page, a page which had a large drawing of a labyrinth on it. Her eyes lit up at the sight of the myth that she had fought and conquered, her fingers traced over the long and complex trails that the image displayed as if she was once again demonstrating the simplicity of it all. Her fingers stopped tracing once she had reached what looked like a large bull. Her face looked confused by this. She read the footnote at the side. _'__As in the great myth of Theseus; one must penetrate to the heart of the Labyrinth in search of the great beast, the Minotaur, if they wish to succeed.__'_Sarah looked in disappointment at the book, as if to say that it didn't have a clue, for she had succeeded the Labyrinth without engaging with the Minotaur.

"What's that you're reading, anything good?" said Karen, which startled Sarah causing her to slam the book shut and put it quickly back in the bookshelf. "Obviously not" said Karen.

Sarah took the tea out of her stepmothers hand.

"Thank you" she said quietly, took a small sip and placed it on the coffee table.

Karen sat down in the nearby chair. She looked at Sarah intensely. Her eyes pierced through Sarah's as if to say that she wanted to have a serious conversation.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" said Sarah.

"I'm worried about you" she said.

"Well don't okay" Sarah snapped, "I'm fine, honestly" she said, yet she did not sound very convincing.

"Now Sarah I know that's not true. You've just been to your mothers funeral, of course you're not fine. You've been quiet all week…I know it's hard, but if you don't share your feelings then they have no chance of going away."

Sarah's face still showed no expression. If anything, it looked like she was trying hard to fight back her emotions. Karen stood up and moved over to the couch where Sarah was sitting. She sat down beside her and looked at her sympathetically. Sarah looked a little annoyed, like she just wanted to be left alone.

"I know that its difficult with your father being away, and I'm probably the last person you want to speak to but…I want you to understand that you can tell me, Sarah. I want to help you, nothing more…and…"

"Am I interrupting something" said a young man who had walked into the living room. He had an innocent complexion and a rather friendly face. He looked around twenty years of age but had a kind of Little-House-On-The-Prairie boy-next-door look with short blonde hair that would be curly if he had not smeared gel all over it. His eyes were young but wise and his smile was warm and trustworthy.

"No Lysander" sighed Karen, "come on in."

"Thanks" he said, "but I was kind of wondering if I could talk to Sarah…alone" he tried to say without offending Karen.

Karen sighed while Sarah gleefully walked up to the young man. Her funeral-face was suddenly forgotten when Lysander had arrived, like she he knew that he would cheer her up no matter what.

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They went upstairs to Sarah's room which looked a little different than before. She still had a few ornaments and posters, but most of her old toys and stuffed animals were out of sight. She only had one bear; Lancelot which sat on her bed. She checked herself out in the mirror looking pretty dissatisfied with the way she looked. Then she stopped to look at a picture on her dresser. Her face turned to a pallid ashen colour once more as she stared at her mothers beautiful face. After a brief moment she turned the photo frame around until it could no longer be seen. Lysander noticed this and he patted on her bed indicating for her to come and sit next to him. She walked over, sat by him and smiled.

"Do you want me to show you my new cassette player" she said happily. "Remember when I told you about it the other day."

"No" he said softly. He had a look in his eyes that said he knew Sarah too well, and he knew that behind her pleasant exterior she was hiding her real feelings.

Sarah lowered her eyes. She knew that he was not going to act as if nothing had happened.

"So how did it go" he asked.

"It was fine" she said dimly.

"Sarah"

"Look it was fine!" she snapped as she angrily stood up and walked over to her bookshelf where she pulled out a random book and tersely flipped through the pages. Lysander hand reached for her shoulder.

"I thought we were friends Sarah, you know you can tell me anything. I know I don't know much about losing a mother, since I've never had one, but I do know that you can't pretend you're not upset. Don't pretend Sarah. My shoulders aren't there just for holding my arms in place you know, they're here for crying on too."

At that moment Sarah burst into a flame of uncontrollable tears. She turned around to place her head on Lysander's shoulder and he stroked her russet brown hair as she wept.

"I…I…never said goodbye, she…_(snivel), _she didn't even get to see, she just…"

"I know I know…don't worry, she can see you now, she can see you anytime she wants, and she'll be very proud of you." Sarah felt comforted by his words. "Time is a great healer, you'll see, everything will seem just a little but brighter tomorrow, okay, and if it doesn't, then I owe you a coke." Sarah let out a slight giggle, but still looked unsure of his words. Would everything seem brighter tomorrow?

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_This story has almost been completed but I will be only adding a new chapter every few days (even sooner if you write a review) ha ha, I can be cruel!_

_Chill ya later - RebelKat_


	2. Escape

Tomorrow had come. Sarah's stepmother was downstairs vacuuming while six-old-Toby was annoying her by pretending that the Hoover was some kind of evil monster that had to be jumped on every time it came too close. There was still no sign of Sarah's father.

Sarah, however was upstairs in her bedroom. It seemed that her talk with Lysander had caused a gate to open in her mind as tissues were scattered all over her bedroom floor and pictures of her mother were spread out on Sarah's bed while she mourned over them. Only one of the pictures had Sarah in it, when she was a young girl of about six, all of the others looked like they were pictures of a supermodel or an actress, but they all had the same striking face resembling a more mature and womanlike version of Sarah. Sarah clutched a locket in her hand, one that was obviously very special to her and probably had some kind of connection to her mother and in the other hand she clutched onto Lancelot, a bear that was obviously special to her. Sarah's face looked red and ill. Her eyes were dark and ghostly. She had obviously been crying all night.

"I didn't mean it…I'm sorry…please forgive me " Sarah kept saying, pleading with her mothers pictures. She was clearly traumatised by her mothers death, a much different perception of what she appeared like yesterday. "I'm sorry, please forgive…" she whispered before a loud knock on her door made her heart skip a beat.

"Sarah" shouted her stepmother. "Why aren't you up yet it's almost ten o'clock. Can you come here I need to ask you something."

Sarah jumped up and piled all of the pictures together. She quickly hid them in a drawer and wiped her eyes.

"Just a second" she said trying to sound unconvincingly cheerful. She shoved on a pair of scruffy jeans and a white fitted sweater, fluffed up her hair and ran to the door. When she opened it her stepmother was there holding a few books and staring at her with concern.

"Sarah, you look like the walking dead. Have you been crying?" she enquired.

"No, no, I've just been rubbing my eyes and my mascara must have smeared them. Anyway what was it you wanted to ask me" she said desperately trying to change the topic.

"I'm have a clear out in the living room and I just wondered if you wanted any of these books" she said.

"No I don't think so, I already have enough books" said Sarah not even looking at the books she was holding.

"Are you sure" said Karen, "it's just that I was sure you was reading this one yesterday" she said holding up The Truth In Mythology.

Sarah's eyes leered at the book, like she had just had an idea. She took the book from her stepmother.

"Okay I'll have this one" she said. "Thank you."

"Sarah are you sure you're alright." said Karen. "Don't you want to come with me and Toby to the park later.

"No I'm fine, anyway I've got some college work to do, I'll see you later" she said and shut the door.

Sarah walked over to her bed with the book in her hand. She caressed it slowly as if it was something special. Carefully opening the pages she turned to the index. Her fingers trailed down the words as if she knew exactly what she was looking for. She seemed to be searching for something in the G-section, then when she got the word 'goblins' she found the page number and turned to the correct chapter. She saw pictures of goblins, all which were very accurate; they were all short, ugly and stupid looking.

_Some myths believe that the goblins come and steal children and make them into their own kind. Others believe that it is their ruler; the Goblin King who orders the goblins to take the children away, but only when wished away by their mothers, older siblings etc. Subsequently, the Goblin King then gives them thirteen hours in which to solve the Labyrinth before the child becomes a goblin forever. _

Sarah frowned at this. It did not mention anything about a Labyrinth or that the Goblin King changes the rules every few seconds. She continued to read further.

_If one conquers the Labyrinth then they will get the child back as well as having the power to go to Labyrinth at anytime if they wish to do so._

Sarah gawped at the page in shock. She did not know that she could wish herself back in the Labyrinth if she chose to. Jareth never mentioned anything to her. Maybe it wasn't true, after all the beast in the centre of the Labyrinth wasn't true was it. Maybe this book didn't really have a clue, just a bunch of old myths that were made up by people who hadn't even experienced them. Still, Sarah's eyes began to wonder. What if she could go to the Labyrinth, just for a while, just until she recovered from her mothers death.

"No" she said, "there's no point, there's nothing for me there anyway."

She shut the book and threw it on the floor. She lay on her bed and stared at the wall in silence. Her mind looked like it was racing with thoughts, thoughts about the Labyrinth, thoughts about all those years ago, thoughts about him…the handsome devil, the man who she bravely confronted no matter how much he tormented or seduced her. She smiled to herself. It was unsure whether she was smiling because she had defeated him or smiling because there was obvious attraction between the two.

"Once upon a time" she started whispering to herself, "there was a beautiful young girl whose stepmother always made her stay home with the baby. The baby was a spoilt child, he wanted everything for himself and the girl was practically a slave. But what no one knew was that the Goblin King fell in love with the her, and gave her certain powers…he fell in love with me? She asked herself. "Surely not?"

Sarah tried to think about what actually happened all those years ago.

"Maybe he did fall for me" she said. "Maybe he didn't really want Toby, maybe he wanted me.

Sarah paused for a moment trying to make sense of everything.

"Well whatever he wanted, he can't frighten me anymore. If I decide to go there, there's nothing he could do about it. I just need a break, I just need some time away to get over my mother. I mean what harm could it do, he has no power over me."

She thought hard for a brief moment. Then she stood up. She seemed a little uneasy and her heart was beating fast. She closed her eyes tight.

"I wish" she said. "I wish…I wish that I could go to the Labyrinth, just for one day."

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_Thanks for the reviews so far - I love reviews yeah! Next chapter up soon! xoxox RK_


	3. Underground

She had a feeling inside of her that it hadn't worked. If she had known for definite that it would have worked then she wouldn't have said it so boldly. She opened her eyes slowly. Everything seemed a little blurry. When she had finally regained focus she realised that she was staring into a mans eyes. Well at first it seemed like he was a man but then she realised that it was actually the Wiseman, the large goblin-like bearded creature sporting a talkative bird on his head. Sarah screamed, which also caused the Wiseman and his bird-hat to screech also. She jumped back to get a proper look at the Wiseman. She couldn't believe where she was. The oubliette! The dark, small, enclosed underground cave where she had first been when she was trying to save her brother. She breathed heavily trying to get her thoughts together. She did wish to come to the Labyrinth, but for some reason she was terribly shocked that her wish had actually worked. And what a place to end up, the oubliette. It could have been the hedge maze, it could have been at the door knockers, but no. It was the smelly, miserable old oubliette. The place where you put people to forget about them.

"I'm sorry for screaming sir, you just scared me a little, I didn't expect that my wish would work" she said. "I didn't actually want it to work."

"Well then why did you wish it" said the bird cheekily.

"Be quiet" the Wiseman said to his hat in a hoarse voice making Sarah giggle in remembrance to the exact same thing he said all those years ago. "Wish. Ah yes." he said. " to have a strong feeling of wanting something to happen or wanting to have something, to have a desire to do or want something. You're desire was to come to this Labyrinth?"

"Actually I just came here to recover from the loss of my mother. It's not really a desire" she said.

"Ah, but what makes you think that coming here will help you recover?"

"Well I…just…I" she stammered.

"She doesn't have a clue, she's off her nut" said the bird making Sarah frown at it.

"Silence" said the Wiseman. "Sometimes to recover from a loss one must first accept that they have not lost their loved one, but have indeed found them."

Sarah frowned. She didn't understand what this meant.

"Well I'd better go, I've only got a day here and there's so much I want to discover" she said.

She walked over to the wall where she remembered the way in which Hoggle got her out last time. Only it was much harder this time as it was much darker, for she had no candle lit. She knelt on the floor and rummaged around with her hands until she found it. Then she picked up the board and pushed it against the wall. She hesitated to try and remember which side she was supposed to open. She pulled open the right side of the door and smiled to herself, proud that she had done it all on her own.

"Remember" said the Wiseman making Sarah turn around. She could only see him faintly from the light which crept in above the oubliette. "Things are not always what they seem to be" he said.

"Okay thanks" she said in an almost mocking tone, as she already knew perfectly well that things were not as they seemed in the Labyrinth.

She walked down a path which was dark and eerie. The silent moans and lost howls were much more frightening than the last time she had been there. Maybe this was only because she was all alone and had no annoying little dwarf to bug her, when secretly she was thankful for him being there.

"DON'T GO ON!" shouted a loud booming voice.

"THIS IS NOT THE WAY!" bellowed another.

Sarah had clearly forgotten about the false alarms, as they made her jump up and scream. For a place that was filled with an sinister silence a few seconds ago was now beaming with booming voices from the boulders which tried to discourage her. She rolled her eyes at them, knowing that they couldn't scare her anymore, especially when she wasn't trying to get anywhere specific anyway.

When Sarah had finally come clear of the false alarms she reached an empty corridor, or what she thought was empty. Her confidence suddenly melted at the sight of a strange looking creature. It was like a goblin but was much larger. It wore a shabby hat where Sarah could see strands of hair coming out from underneath it. It had small hands which wore black gloves, too small to be goblin hands surely.

"Ah, what have we here" it said in a high-pitched goblin-like voice.

Sarah sighed. She knew who it was. She walked over to the creature.

"Jareth stop fooling around. I know its you" she said arrogantly.

She pulled of the creatures head. But to her surprise it's head would not pull off.

"Ahhh!" it cried, "get off me."

"Oh" Sarah said as she leapt back. "I…I'm so sorry I thought you were, I…"

A cackling sound in the distance interrupted Sarah. She looked around and saw Jareth walking towards her clapping his hands and laughing cruelly. He wore black breeches, a grey ruffled shirt and leather boots. His hair was still wild and other-worldly. His posture was elegant but sturdy, and his malicious, mismatched eyes stared into hers.

"I have to say, that performance has put a little fun in my day. Terribly amusing." he said scornfully.

Sarah felt humiliated. She should not have mocked the wise mans words. He told her things aren't what they seem and yet still she assumed that the strange creature was Jareth. The Goblin King could see that she was embarrassed so he took the chance to gloat even more. He paced around her, something which she felt annoyed by.

"Sarah, do you enjoy making a fool out of yourself, because it's something you do an awful lot. Or are you just incredibly stupid?" he said still laughing.

"I was smart enough to defeat you" she bit back, not feeling scared of him at all.

Jareth's laughter suddenly turned to resentment as his face sharpened up.

"Yes, you were" he said bitterly. "But if you defeated me, then why ask to come back?" he asked curiously.

"I don't know, I suppose I just wanted to get away for a while. My mother just died and I found this book where it said that whoever defeats the Goblin King gets to wish herself away again, so I thought that I might as well give it a try."

Her reason seemed valid enough. Jareth stared at her with an emotionless expression. He did not want to pity her about her mother but he was not that kind of man to tease a girl about her dead mother.

"Yes, I was hoping you wouldn't find out about that wish" he said.

Sarah was a little offended by this.

"Really why?" she asked.

"Because!" he snapped returning to his evil self. "Why would I ever want to see the girl who defeated me!"

"Well I thought…" she said.

"You thought WHAT precisely! That I would welcome you back with open arms and let you parade around my Labyrinth like you own the place. If that was what you thought then you really are stupid."

"That's not…" she stopped herself before she said 'fair'. "I mean, I thought that you…well, had feelings for me" she said making Jareth appear a little shocked.

"Oh did you" he said. "And what made you think that."

"What do you think made me think that! How about the dancing in the ballroom and the words 'fear me, love me, do as I say', don't tell me you don't remember that."

"I say a lot of things Sarah and I do not remember all of them. But it is funny how _you_ remembered those words, they must have had more of an effect on you then they did me." he said.

Sarah huffed. He was really making a fool out of her, even when he didn't have power over her anymore.

"You can't fool me, I know how you felt. You wanted me to be your Queen I know it."

Jareth laughed. Sarah was digging her hole even deeper.

"Really?" he said derisively. "Or is that what _you_ wanted."

He was twisting all of her words.

"You disgusting vile creep, you…

"Sarah" said gruff voice. She saw Hoggle, the little dwarf, appear out of nowhere. He looked at her in curiosity like he hadn't seen her in years.

"Sarah what are ya doin' 'ere" he said.

"I think I should be the one asking you Hoggle, what are you doing here. Shouldn't you be off gardening somewhere. What if someone enters my Labyrinth without permission. You should be there to stop them!" said Jareth.

"Oh you know as well as I do, no one has come to the Labyrinth for months." said Hoggle.

Sarah smiled at him. She was proud of the fact that her once fearful friend was now facing up to the man whom he used to be terrified of.

"Hi Hoggle, I found out that by defeating this man…", Jareth rolled his eyes, "…that I get a free wish to come here" she said happily.

"Oh yes" said Hoggle, "and don't forget the other four wishes that you OWWW!"

Jareth had stamped on Hoggle's foot hoping that Sarah had not heard. But it was too late.

"What four wishes" she asked inquisitively.

Jareth shot an evil look at Hoggle which scared him a little.

"No it don't matter" Hoggle said.

"No, I want to know" said Sarah, "I have a right to know what I am entitled to." She looked at Jareth who gritted his teeth.

"Fine" he said. "Because you defeated me and because you found out that you could return to the Labyrinth, you get four wishes that you must use during your time here" he said.

Sarah's face lit up. She was shocked but at the same time excited that she had four wishes. Now she knew how Aladdin felt, and he must have felt powerful.

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_Oooh it just got interesting. What will she wish for? What will Jareth think of her wishes? What will the reviews be like? We can all find out soon enough. Next chapter up in couple of days folks. Chill ya later._


	4. First Wish

"So what are the rules then, what can and can't I wish for" she said.

"There are no rules" said Jareth honestly. "Only that whatever you wish for must take place in the Labyrinth. Therefore I cannot make you rich, bring world peace or anything else involving your planet."

"Oh" she said. "Well, I guess I'll have to think about what I want then."

Jareth face was filled with worry. The last thing he wanted was for Sarah to wish for something that would effect his status, she could wish for him to be her slave, or for her to rule the Labyrinth. She knew that she could wish for anything, and the smug look on her face showed him that she knew this all too well. She had power over him and she liked it.

"Well, seeing as you have this hold over me you might as well join me in my castle, as I will not sit around in the oubliette with you until you make your decision" said Jareth as he held out his gloved hand signalling for Sarah to take it. He sensed her hesitation. "Come come now Sarah, it's only a hand. Or do you think it might mean more than that. Do you think by taking my hand you will suddenly become my queen and I will tie you to my bed and fulfil my yearning desires" he said smirking making Sarah feel very uncomfortable. She reluctantly took his hand. Just his touch sent shivers down her spine. Even though his gloves Sarah felt a strange feeling as he gripped her naked hand tightly.

Jareth threw crystal up in the air. Sarah watched as it formed a silent white explosion and sparkles of dust covered over them. It looked rather beautiful. When the dust had cleared Sarah and Jareth found themselves in the castle foyer where the empty throne sat there waiting for Jareth's arrival.

"What's with all the dust, couldn't you have transported here with a click of the fingers or something?" she asked.

"I thought we'd arrive in style" he said. "Didn't you like it?"

"Oh, no, of course I liked it" she said strangely aware that she did not want to make the king offended. "I thought it was beautiful."

Jareth frowned at her confused. She felt a little embarrassed. She went a bit too far saying that a cloud of dust was beautiful. He smirked as he walked up to his throne.

Sarah stayed in position, her eyes frantically darting around the room. She noticed how unglamorous it all was. There wasn't a hint of colour, everything was brown and grey. She couldn't believe that a King with such magical powers lived in a castle that looked more medieval than it did magical. It was not at all like her fantasies as a young girl. And that was when she realised what she wanted her first wish to be.

"I know what my first wish will be" she said.

Jareth who now sat on the throne in a casual position looked at her in surprise. It hadn't taken her long at all.

"Why so shocked" she said.

"I just didn't think that you would think of a wish so quickly" he said.

"Why not, it's not like there is much to wish for in this place anyway. Besides I know what you're thinking. You want to stall me as much as possible so that I'll run out of time and I won't be able to make all four wishes. You're just scared that my wishes will humiliate you or take away your position as King."

Jareth walked over to Sarah slowly. She did not know if he was angry or not. His expression was blank.

"Clever girl" he said. "It seems I underestimated you."

She smiled feeling happy that she had been called clever, especially by someone with a much more experienced and manipulative mind.

"Alright then, what is your first wish." he said.

"I wish…that I could have a glorious masquerade ball…one like before, expect I won't feel afraid, and no one will laugh at me, because it will be my ball."

Her wish staggered Jareth a little.

"Interesting choice" he said. "May I be so bold as to ask why."

"I don't know really. I guess that I just want to go somewhere glamorous and feel like a princess. Growing up, I'd always dream about being at a ball like Cinderella, and now's my chance to be Cinderella."

She was sure behind his expressionless stare he was laughing at her.

"But you've already been to a ball, don't tell me you forgot how we danced last time after you ate that peach."

"How could I forget" she snapped. "But this time I want a ball where I'm not worried about anything, last time you tried to seduce me away from Toby and…"

Sarah stopped, realising that again she had said Jareth was trying to _seduce_ her.

"Seduce you?" he gloated. "Is that what you think" he smiled. "Very well, you will have your ball. Expect it to be ready for this evening."

"Why can't I have it now?" she moaned sounding like a bratty teenage girl again. "You're just trying to stall me aren't you."

"No" said Jareth, "but you cannot expect that an entire ball will be ready for you right this second, the ballroom needs to be made up and a guest list must be made."

"A guest list?" she asked.

"Why yes, you need guests at a ball. You didn't think it would just be me and you dancing around did you. Otherwise I might try and…seduce you" he said sneering at her making her once again feel humiliated. "The ball will be ready at seven o'clock tonight. I will arrange a room for which you can prepare yourself and you will be collected at precisely seven. Besides I gather you have not eaten yet, I assume you will want some dinner before you attend the ball" he asked seeming more thoughtful.

"Yes, dinner would be nice" she said.

"Okay then, for now you can go out in my Labyrinth, go and make some friends or whatever, but don't break anything. You caused enough damage last time."

She shot him an evil glance before going out of the castle and into the Goblin City.

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_Next chap up soon guys. Cheers for reviews. Keep 'em rollin' - luv RK. _


	5. Second Wish

She walked past the small Goblin houses and laughed when she saw that one was still broken after Ludo had ripped it apart all those years ago. The sky was pink and the City enclosed an air of emptiness. Last time she had been there it was buzzing with activity, the City was full of stupid goblins and Sarah had fought in the silliest battle she could have ever imagined. But now there was not a sound, no goblins, no danger, nothing. And the thought of nothing scared her a little.

As she walked out of the City she found herself in a dark forest. The air was filled with a melancholy silence which Sarah found daunting. Sometimes the trees would rustle and sometimes a bird would squawk in the sky. These little noises frightened Sarah, for she was alone and none of her friends were in sight. She walked further into the forest not really knowing where she was going, but the danger of becoming lost almost excited her. Her eyes were filled with curiosity and wonder. Last time she only had one thing on her mind, but this time she could stop and appreciate the beauties and oddities of the Labyrinth. She felt the bark of the misshapen trees, she smelt the fresh unearthly air and she tasted the fantasy of it all. Yet though it was fantasy, it was all so real.

Something caught her attention. There appeared to be smoke arising out of the trees. She started to smell it, and breathe it, she coughed and held her hand to her mouth as the smoke got closer. She pushed her way through the trees, trying to find out where the smoke was coming from. Finally she reached a house, more like a small shabby

hut with a chimney which streamed with thick black smoke. She looked at it for a while, wondering if she should enter. She felt a little unsure but her inquisitiveness overruled her anxiety. She walked around to the other side where she found a small door, she was only just small enough to squeeze through it.

* * *

Inside the hut it seemed to be pretty homely. There were ordinary objects; a couch, a bed, table, chairs etc. But obviously they were all of a miniature size, small enough for a goblin. She walked in further to a room which looked like a kitchen. In there she noticed a female goblin who was cooking something in a large black pot. Whatever she was cooking it looked otherworldly, as she stirred a big pot of green slime. The goblin looked old and ugly, just like all the other goblins, except this one wore a black cape and a pointy black hat.

"Excuse me" said Sarah.

"Huh" the goblin said looking up at her with a rather annoyed face. However when she saw that it was Sarah her irritation turned into a smile.

"Oh hello my dear" the goblin said politely.

"Hi my names Sarah, what's yours" she said.

"You can call me Wanda dear" said the goblin.

"Okay hello Wanda, may I ask what you're doing" said Sarah walking closer the goblin who seemed friendly enough.

"Me oh I'm cooking" said Wanda who took a sip of the green goo with a large spoon, nodded her head and then put the spoon away.

"Oh really, it doesn't look very much like food" said Sarah.

"That's because I haven't added the food yet" said Wanda as she walked over to the door and closed it so Sarah was trapped in with her.

"Why did you close the door" said Sarah who started to look worried.

"Oh, I just don't want any of the smell escaping" said Wanda who walked back over to the pot.

"Oh, so what food are you going to put in it" said Sarah.

There was a brief pause, Wanda looked up at Sarah with a frown on her face, then she smiled. Sarah looked worried, why was Wanda taking so long to answer. What could she possibly be cooking that was so hard to say to her. Wanda looked into Sarah's eyes. Sarah hadn't noticed before but the goblin had bright green eyes that looked rather witchlike.

"You!" said Wanda sharply and evilly before letting out a great cackle.

Sarah gasped.

"What!" she said as she slowly backed away from the goblin she now realised was in fact a witch-goblin and the pot was actually a cauldron. The witch laughed as she walked up to Sarah. Sarah tried to reach for the door and turn the knob but it was locked, clearly with some kind of witchcraft.

"I didn't know there were witches in the Labyrinth" panted Sarah.

"Didn't know there were witches in the Labyrinth" laughed Wanda who ran her grubby finger over Sarah's face then put the same finger in her mouth. "Mmmm…tastes good."

"Don't do that!" said Sarah. "Let me go!"

"Why would I let you go" said Wanda, her voice wasn't pleasant anymore, in fact it had changed altogether. Instead of sounding like a sweet little old lady her voice was hoarse, and manly. Sarah noticed that she had grown to at least seven feet in height. Sarah looked up a the witch who towered over her. The witches emerald eyes pierced into Sarah's which terrified her, so she closed her eyes just in case the witch was trying to hypnotise her.

"Leave me alone" she wailed. "Please."

She felt Wanda's hands grip tightly around her arms, so tightly that it hurt. The strength she applied seemed much too strong for an ordinary goblin. Sarah opened her eyes for a brief moment. Those sharp green eyes still daggered into hers. Wanda's nails dug into her skin making her scream out in pain.

"Help!" she shouted trying to struggle free but the witches grip was too hard.

Wanda looked hungry, she licked her lips.

"I'm going to enjoy eating a mortal girl" she said in her bloodcurdling voice.

Realising there was no escape, Sarah knew what she had to do.

"I wish you would come and save me Jareth!" she shouted.

* * *

_Wait for it..._


	6. A Fine Meal

In less than a second Wanda got pushed away from Sarah causing her to fall to the floor. Wanda screeched as she was hurled away by Jareth. Sarah gasped for air as she watched the Goblin King loom over the witch who had now shrunk back to normal size.

"Wanda, what have I told you about teasing the mortals" he said so calmly.

Wanda scrunched up her face and crossed her arms.

"That girl shouldn't have come here in the first place to a house in the middle of a forest with smoke pouring out of the chimney, what is she stupid?" said Wanda.

Sarah could not see Jareth's face but she sensed that he was laughing.

"In my defence you seemed sweet enough at first" said Sarah, "who'd have thought that you would turn out to be such a vile, ugly witch."

"What did you call me?" shouted Wanda running towards Sarah only to be stopped by Jareth.

"Wanda" said Jareth, "you will not harm Sarah. Now go and settle down."

Wanda frowned at Sarah then walked off out of the kitchen. Jareth turned around to see Sarah lying helplessly on the dirty floor. He sighed as he held out his hand to help her up. She stood up and wiped the filth away from her clothes. Jareth shook his head and smiled.

"I leave you alone for a few minutes and still you manage to get yourself into trouble" he said. Sarah looked very relieved to see him. "Well, I hope you're hungry" he said.

* * *

Sarah looked around. They were no longer in the witches house. They were in a small room in the castle. The room was dimly lit by candles.The mood looked quite romantic and cosy. In the centre of the room lay a table with two seats. Sarah licked her lips at the sight of all the food that was placed in the centre of the table. There was a large scrumptious-looking turkey which was surrounded by all different types of mouth-watering vegetables. Sarah's stomach rumbled. Jareth chuckled and led her over to the table. He pulled out a seat for her, she smiled as she sat down. He then elegantly sat down in the other chair. He carved off a large portion of turkey onto Sarah's plate and then one for his. Sarah garnished her plate full of vegetables and started to eat. Jareth poured a glass of champagne out for her which she drank to wash out her mouth.

"This is delicious" she said.

As she ate, Sarah watched Jareth from the corner of her eye, as if curious about seeing a Goblin King do such an earthly thing as eating. Even the way he ate his food was done in such a stylish manner. He slowly chewed his food, bit by bit, unlike Sarah who ravenously stuffed the food in her mouth like she hadn't eating for days. But watching Jareth made her think more carefully about how she presented herself in front of him. It was almost like she was trying to please him but she didn't know quite why.

"Do you mind gaping at me while I am eating" Jareth said without even looking up at Sarah.

"I'm I'm sorry" she said looking embarrassed. "I just…didn't realise you ate…food" she said feeling mortified that she would ask such a ridiculous remark. Jareth looked up at her.

"What did you think I ate, Wanda's green slime" he said making Sarah laugh.

"No I guess I just always thought of you never having to eat. I always thought you were immortal or something." she said.

"I'm surprised you thought of me at all" said Jareth who wiped his mouth with a table cloth and put his knife and fork to one side.

"I didn't, I mean not very often, but its hard to forget a Goblin King once he has came into your life, even if you did defeat him."

"You did not defeat me Sarah, I'm still alive aren't I, you simply made it so I could never harm you again. I have no power over you and once these wishes are over with, you will have no power over me too." he said.

"So you're only being nice to me because you know I have no power over you?" she said angrily.

"Well what else would you want me to be nice to you for, hmm?" he asked daring her to answer. "Don't tell me you're actually starting to like me" he said.

"No of course not! it's completely ludicrous to even think that, I've never liked you! It was always you who liked me!" she retorted.

"Oh did I?" he said.

"Yes you did and you know you did. I could see it in your eyes at the masquerade ball. The way you looked at me, you wanted me didn't you Jareth?"

He seemed stunned by her forwardness, as did she.

"Well I suppose there is no point denying that the mood at the masquerade did make me feel that I wanted to take things further. I was curious! As I'm sure you were."

Sarah looked a little uncomfortable.

"No" she said quietly.

"Oh come, come Sarah. Don't deny that there wasn't a tiny bit of you that was curious about what it would have been like to be with a Goblin King. What it would have been like to have stayed and to have kept dancing with me. To see what would have happened after that, hmm?" His voice was deep and seductive.

"No! I was only fifteen then. I was too young." she yelled.

"Yes you were young, so innocent…naïve…childish…the Virgin Mary figure. I could see it in your eyes. There was such a sad love inside, one that yearned to taste the forbidden fruit for the first time. It was a good thing you were only fifteen and in search of your brother. Otherwise who knows how the night would have ended" he said as he smirked. They sat in silence for a while, reflecting on what could have been until Jareth spoke again. "But let's not dwell on the past shall we? What's done is done. We have both moved on since then."

"Yes we have moved on" she said.

"Speaking of which, have you managed to resolve your differences with your stepmother" he asked.

"Yes I have" she said, "I mean we still have our arguments sometimes, it's not like she could ever be my real mother." Sarah paused remembering the reason for why she came back to the Labyrinth in the first place, to recover from the loss of her real mother. Jareth noticed Sarah's sadness.

"Your mother" he said. "How did she…"

"…I don't want to talk about it" Sarah snapped.

"As you wish" said Jareth, "but I'm sure that she did love you Sarah."

"How do you know?" Sarah said trying not to cry.

"Well why wouldn't she love you. Sure you can be stubborn at times but that's no reason for a mother to detest her own daughter now is it" he said noticing that Sarah was clutching onto her locket. "What is that" he asked reaching for her neck to get a closer look at the old pendant.

"It was left for me after my mother ran away from home. Dad told me that she must have left it to show me that she still loved me and wouldn't forget me. I thought that one day she was going to come back for me."

Jareth twiddled the locket between his gloved fingers. He seemed strangely interested in such a rusty old necklace. Sarah pulled it away from him making him move away from her.

"Sorry" he said. "I'm sure your mother would have come back for you."

Tears welled up in Sarah's eyes. Jareth put his hand on her face to try and calm her.

"I'm sorry" she said. "I've been a bit emotional ever since Lysander told me that…

"…Lysander?" Jareth asked pryingly.

"Oh he's just a friend" she said. "My best friend actually."

"I see" he said.

"He's not my boyfriend!" she demanded.

"And why would I care if he was" said Jareth, "you're clearly old enough to be in a relationship, I'd be surprised if you didn't have a boyfriend." Jareth could see he was make Sarah feel uneasy. "After all you are a woman now" he said admiring her womanly figure.

Sarah felt uncomfortable with him looking at her, in truth she felt discomfited by the entire conversation they had just had. She stood up out of her chair to which he nobly responded by standing up also.

"I would like for you to show me my room now" she said.

"Very well" said Jareth.

* * *

Jareth led Sarah out of the small room and into the main lobby. They walked up a case of stairs which Sarah had never seen before. Sarah walked in front and was oddly comforted by Jareth's closeness. Even when they walked down a scary narrow corridor and passed creepy knights in armour, who Sarah was sure she thought she saw move, she felt protected with Jareth behind her. The castle was a Tardis, much bigger on the inside than it was outside. Magic, she thought. Sarah was too busy gazing around that she failed to notice the step in front of her and if it wasn't for Jareth's steady hands she would have fell head over heels and made a complete buffoon of herself. She already did kind of, as she realised that as Jareth caught her she had grabbed hold of his upper leg for safety.

"Steady there Sarah" he said as he helped her up, "if anyone saw us they'd think you were trying to seduce me." He grinned wickedly.

"Just keep walking" Sarah said as she marched off down the corridor indicating for him to follow. She realised that he was not following her so she turned around rolling her eyes.

"Are you just trying to annoy me" she said. "Come on!"

"Why would I want to go over there, this is your room" Jareth said standing by the door with a key shaped like a skeleton dangling from his gloved hand. "I don't know where you think you're going." he smirked.

Sarah awkwardly walked back up to him, her angry eyes staring at his face of amusement. Jareth unlocked the door and pushed it open. Sarah walked in astounded with the beauty of it all. She had no idea that such a dull-looking castle could enclose a room that was so enchanting. It was every girls fairytale. There must have been about fifty dazzling dresses which hung from butterfly pegs, waiting for Sarah to try them on. A large dressing table sat at the far end with a mirror and cosmetic case with only the finest brands of make-up. There was even a small hair salon where two friendly-looking female goblins awaited her arrival. Sarah exhibited a wide smile on her face amazed that she had her very own dressing room and would soon have her very own ball.

"This is amazing Jareth" she said but when she turned around she noticed that the King had disappeared.

"This way sweetie pie" said one of the goblins who clutched Sarah's shoulders and led her over to the dressing table. Sarah sat down in the salon chair.

Sarah looked at herself in the mirror. She was pretty but rough, her eyes were still a little swollen after she'd been crying all the night before.

"We'll get you looking like a princess for the ball" said the other goblin.

* * *

Throughout the rest of the afternoon Sarah could act like the diva she never was. She was spoilt and pampered, and she seemed to enjoy herself, even if she was being indulged by two unattractive goblins. First came the hair; her long dark tresses were washed in the finest herbal shampoo and cut into a sleek style with clips at either side. Then her came her make-up; elegant but youthful. She had chosen a crimson-coloured lipstick and classic black mascara to highlight her plump lips and luminous hazel eyes. But the most time was spent on her dress, for Sarah had to have the ideal dress if she were to have the perfect ball. She must have tried on at least twenty gowns before deciding on the right one. Some were too frilly and some were too revealing, but finally Sarah had found was that suited her tremendously. It was a long midnight-blue ball gown with a halter-neck which fastened with a small platinum owl brooch. It exposed little cleavage but a lot of her slender back and captured every curve of her lean figure. The dress showed Sarah's innocence in a whole new light, for even though she was pure she was no longer a child and the dress proved that fact. She smiled to herself in the mirror. Strangely she seemed very excited about going to the ball with Jareth. It was almost like she wanted him to like her. And why wouldn't he. Any man would be a fool not to find her attractive wouldn't they?

* * *

_I decided to put two chapters up this time seeing as the last one was pretty short. God I wrote this story quite a while and looking back on it I realise that it's quite risque - for me anyway. Still, there's more chemistry to come I can tell you. This story is not finished yet so I'm still not quite sure where it will lead. All I know is there are still seven more complete chapters to come and by the time they've been added i'll have probably finished the rest of it so I hope you put it on your alerts as I will be updating regularly. Keep smiling and keep reviewing. Any questions? RK._


	7. Masquerade

_(KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK)_

Sarah jumped up in excitement before retaining herself and gracefully walking over to the door. She took a deep breath before slowly opening it displaying herself in the most courteous way possible. The door opened to reveal her beauty and grace in a desirable way, but Sarah looked noticeably disappointed with what she saw at the other side of the door.

A tall dark noble-looking man presented himself before her. He wore a dark blue debonair attire which coordinated with the sapphire dress she was wearing. His friendly eyes looked happy with her presence as he smiled charmingly at her. He seemed handsome enough, a prince that every girl would dream of having, but for some reason he wasn't what Sarah had been hoping for.

"Oh...um…hello I'm…" she said.

"Sarah, yes I know, Jareth's told me all about you" he said in a British accent similar to Jareth's but with less mockery and more congeniality. "My name is Quinton, but you can call me Quince" he said putting out his hand for Sarah to shake.

As she placed her swan like fingers into his, he did not shake her hand but lifted it up to his lips and planted a firm kiss on it.

"You look absolutely beautiful, Sarah. Jareth said you would be, but I never believed in angels before I saw you" said Quince. He was truly a gentlemen, maybe a bit mawkish but overall he was a nice date. "Now I hear this is _your_ ball so I will do my best to make sure that you have wonderful time. Whatever you need, you just ask me okay" he said holding out his arm.

"Okay, thank you very much" she said linking her arm with his as they walked down the corridor together.

* * *

The masquerade was more than wonderful. The entire room glistened with magic and allure. The ceiling was gloriously suspended with the most exclusive chandeliers which illuminated the beautiful dancers who serenaded each other across the dance floor. Every guest wore a magnificent regal costume looking much more dignified than Sarah had expected and when Sarah and Quince entered the ballroom they all stared in admiration at the girl. She simply loved the attention, even if it was a fake ball which she had requested. Nobody could resist marvelling at her beauty, especially Quince who immediately began dancing with her. He took her with his gentle hand and lightly they glided across the floor. Sarah was surprised at how good a dancer she was, she flew across the floor so elegantly like she was as light as a feather. None of the female dancers were as gorgeous as Sarah, even behind their masks she could tell that they were much older than her and didn't have her innocence or virtue. In truth there was only one other beautiful woman. She had long auburn curls and a dazzling smile. Her dress was an emerald green with ruffles at the bottom. Sarah wouldn't have minded that there was another young girl at the ball but when she realised who the girls' date was she couldn't help but envy her slightly. For there he was, standing with his arm around the woman's waist smiling at her intently.

Jareth wore a jet black ensemble with a dazzling regency shirt and shimmering cloak. She had never seen him looking so sophisticated. Even his hair looked like it had glitter in it. She was so absorbed with him that while she was dancing she tripped over Quince's feet.

"Watch yourself there" said Quince as he caught her fall. "Maybe we should cease dancing for a while. Oh look, there's Jareth and Helena, shall we greet them" he said walking towards them and dragging Sarah along with her. "Jareth, Helena, may I present to you the lovely Sarah" said Quince.

Jareth turned his eyes towards Sarah and looked startled by her beauty. Not even he expected her to look that impressive. Sarah however felt very awkward at this point. She felt suddenly rather exposed with the fact that all eyes were on her.

"Hello Sarah. I must admit you do look lovely. I hope you're enjoying your ball" said Jareth.

"Um…yes its beautiful" she said.

"Oh good. Erm…have you met Helena?" asked Jareth pulling the girl closer to him.

"Hi" said Helena in a very pleasant voice, "Jareth's told me all about you."

"Oh hi, um has he?" said Sarah nervously. "That's funny he's never mentioned you" she said trying not to make herself sound mean.

Jareth and Helena smiled before walking away to congregate with some others.

"Shall we go and get something to drink" said Quince who held out his hand and led Sarah over to the buffet table.

On their way over there Sarah could not help asking questions about Jareth and Helena.

"How long has Jareth known Helena for?" she asked

"Oh for as long as I can remember" said Quince.

"So what are they…dating or something?" she asked

"Well I wouldn't say dating. Helena often accompanies Jareth to these balls and whatnot. They have a kind of sporadic relationship, she's more like a long-term friend really. Still, I won't deny that they haven't had amorous relations in the past. Anyway, why the sudden interest?"

"Oh erm, no reason I was just taking an interest in my guests, I mean its my ball isn't it?" she said.

"Why yes it is, and if any of these guests bring you trouble then you have every right to discharge them. Of course, Helena wouldn't give you any grief she's a sweetheart that one."

Sarah secretly pulled a face when he mentioned Helena. She didn't know why but she seemed really threatened by her.

Sarah poured a glass of punch into a glass and watched the glory of the ball as she drank. For some reason she wasn't enjoying herself as much as she'd hoped. Maybe it was because she was in a room full of strangers or maybe there was some other reason. Sarah looked at Helena. She did have a certain beauty in her nature. The way she laughed when Jareth whispered in her ear and the way she danced in his arms. She watched as they paraded around the room. They looked such an attractive couple and all eyes were on them. It no longer felt like Sarah's ball anymore. No one took and interest in what she and Quince were doing.

Sarah was engrossed in so much thought that she didn't even notice Jareth and Helena dancing up towards her. The rest of the dancers moved out of the way letting them possess the dance floor but Sarah didn't budge. As Helena sailed past Sarah her arm accidentally elbowed Sarah's drink so that it spilt all over Sarah. Sarah gasped as the drink spilt all over her dress.

"Oh gosh I'm so sorry, here let me help you" said Helena as she stopped dancing and rushed to Sarah's aid.

"No it's okay I'm fine" Sarah said noticing that everyone in the ballroom including Jareth was looking at her.

Helena got hold of a tissue and tried to wipe Sarah's dress but Sarah pushed her away.

"I'm sorry I was only trying to help" said Helena.

"And I said I didn't want you to!" Sarah said heatedly.

"Look I know you're upset but you don't need to be so rude okay, especially when this ball was made entirely for you" Helena said.

Sarah had had enough. She angrily poured what was left of her drink over Helena's face. Helena gasped along with the rest of the crowd. Sarah tearfully ran out of the ballroom before she caused some real trouble.

* * *

_There's always gotta be a masquerade in these JS stories hasn't there!? Nex chap up soon. Chill ya - RK_

P.S. Does anyone love Everyone Says 'Hi' as much as I do?


	8. Third Wish

She ran down the corridor and into a small bathroom where she stared at herself in the mirror. She wiped her eyes with tissue and surprisingly her make-up stayed intact. Soon after, Quince came in after her. He noticed that she was upset.

"Sarah are you alright, look, Helena didn't mean to make you spill your drink it was just an honest mistake. Let's not ruin this evening shall we. Come back into the ball and go and talk to her, she'll understand I know she will" Quince said nobly.

"Of course she'll understand. Because she's perfect isn't she. Perfect beautiful Helena who can do nothing wrong" Sarah moaned.

"Sarah you're being very unreasonable. Jareth told me about your stubbornness but I didn't realise you…"

"Oh did he!" Sarah interrupted, "and what else did Jareth tell you?!"

"That is beside the point" said Quince, "but it's true, you _are_ stubborn, just because a girl pours a drink over you it doesn't mean…"

"That's enough Quince" said Jareth sharply who had entered the room. "I would like to talk to Sarah if you wouldn't mind" said Jareth.

Quince quietly left the bathroom.

Sarah looked away embarrassedly. She knew in her own mind that she was being unreasonable, but she was allowed to be wasn't she? It was her wish.

"Sarah, when you asked me for a ball you never stated exactly what it was that you wanted" said Jareth as he paced up and down the small room. "If you had wanted no other young beautiful women present, you should have said. If you had wanted no drinks near the dance floor so there would be no spillages, you should have said." Jareth paused for a moment then moved closer to Sarah. "And if you had wanted me to be your date then you should have said."

"When did I ever say that I wanted you to be my date" said Sarah uncomfortably.

"You didn't. But why else would you be envious of Helena, she was more than gracious towards you. And why else would you have taken no interest in Quince, the date that I picked out for you."

Sarah did not know what else to say. She knew he was right, but she didn't know why she wanted Jareth to be her date. Why would she be so captivated by a man who stole her baby brother from her when she was only a child herself.

She noticed that Jareth was looking directly into her eyes waiting for her to explain herself to him. Sarah's heart was racing fast. For reasons unknown his eyes entranced her. They told so many forgotten stories and broken dreams. There was something forbidden about him that Sarah craved, something tainted that made her yearn for his essence. Not a word had been said for what seemed like a lifetime, until Sarah decided to be bolder than she had ever been before.

"Kiss me Jareth" she said.

"What?" he asked astounded by her forwardness.

"My third wish" she said. "I wish that you would kiss me."

Jareth stared at the girl as she timidly looked into his eyes. She was unsure whether he was going to kiss her or not. His expression was a mixture of confusion and anxiety, both of which Sarah had never seen before. Then suddenly he moved closer towards her, closer and closer until their bodies almost touched. Sarah's entire soul pulsated with excitement. Then he slowly stroked his gloved hand across her face, all the time looking into her eyes. He moved his face close to hers and parted his lips. For a moment they took the time to breathe in each others' essence, the first taste of what was about to happen. His lips hovered over hers as they crept in closer and brushed against her mouth. Her soul melted in his touch. Gently he stroked her lips with his, sending a shiver of passion down her spine. She opened her mouth wider letting his tongue caress her youthful flavour. They explored each others' mouths, tasting and teasing each other. Neither of them wanted to stop. As they got more comfortable with one another the kiss became more passionate. Jareth pushed her back against the wall as she gripped her hands around his head, their hearts and bodies throbbing against each other. Sarah purred in response to his fiery embrace, like she was finally fulfilling her deepest desire. She wanted it to go on forever but eventually both of them had to come up for air. For a while they looked at each other, surprised at what they had just done, before Jareth let go of her and self-righteously smiled to himself.

"Well, I hope that fulfilled your wish" he said grinning.

Sarah paused for a moment. She didn't know exactly how to act. Then she looked at him smiling at her. His expression seemed more genuine than it had before, so she smiled back.

"Yes it did…thank you" she said kindly.

"The ball is still proceeding. Would you like to accompany me?" he said holding out his hand.

"No, I've had enough. I think I'll just get some sleep now."

"Very well. I'll walk you to your room."

* * *

Sarah linked her arm with Jareth's as he lead her down the corridors and through to her room. They didn't say a word to each other as they walked, but Sarah seemed a lot more content in Jareth's presence than she did with Quince's. There was a certain mystery and danger Jareth that Sarah found thrilling.

"Well goodnight" said Sarah when they reached her bedroom.

"Goodnight? Oh and I thought you was going to invite me in" Jareth said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Don't push it" Sarah said arrogantly as she opened her door.

"Wait" said Jareth softly reaching for something in his pockets. He pulled out a crystal which magically transformed into a teddy bear; Lancelot!

Sarah looked at the bear awkwardly.

"Oh come on Sarah. I know how you have trouble sleeping without this thing" Jareth said.

Sarah knew he was right so she grabbed the bear off him .

"Thanks" she said. "My mother had bought this bear for me as a baby. Apart from a few photos, this bear and my locket are the only things left of her" she said admiring the shabby soft toy.

"Yes well I should be going now, sleep well" said Jareth before rushing off quickly as I f something Sarah said had disturbed him.

Sarah shook her head and walked into her room locking the door behind her.

* * *

_ Hey finally! Some JS action. Are you pleased?_


	9. Back To Reality

Daybreak had come. Sarah's eyes flickered as the sun warmly twinkled through the drapes. The chirps of the morning birds echoed from every corner of the room. She grasped tightly onto Lancelot who had consoled her through the night. In the blurry vision of awakening Sarah could faintly see the poster of the Escher room and the ornaments of fairies and goblins. She saw her dressing table and mirror and looked at her confused reflection. She slowly rose from her bed and gazed around. She couldn't believe it. She was back in her bedroom. Her own bedroom!

"Oh no" she said realising that it was half past ten. The wish had worn off. She only asked to be in the Labyrinth just for one day and that was yesterday morning. If only she had gotten up earlier. She didn't even get to make her final wish.

Sarah jumped back onto her bed and screamed into her pillow.

"You idiot!" she shouted, supposedly at Jareth since he was the one who had stalled her previous wishes and he was the one who had failed to wake her early enough. Sarah said soaked her pillow with tears before a knock on her door made her jump.

"Sarah are you there?" asked her stepmother.

"Yes I'm here" Sarah finally said once she had got herself together.

"Where were you yesterday. I came up to your room to ask you if you wanted any lunch and you were gone! You never said you was going out. I waited up half the night but I didn't know you was already in your room. What the hell is going on Sarah?" She sounded mad, Sarah could tell this because Karen hardly ever used profanities.

Sarah opened the door so she could speak with her face to face. Karen looked tired and angry.

"Look I'm sorry okay, I went out yesterday because I needed to get my head round things. The loss of my mother had gotten to me and I didn't want you to know so I just snuck out and spent the day with Lysander. I came home at two in the morning. I'm sorry I should have called or something."

Sarah was a good liar, that was one thing she had gained from her acting classes as a child. But for some reason Karen wasn't buying it.

"Sarah, I may be a lot of things but I am not stupid. Don't you think that I would have called Lysander to check where you were. I've just been on the phone to him for half an hour trying to understand where you have been. Don't lie to me Sarah, tell me the truth."

Oh no, looks like Sarah's acting skills weren't so useful after all.

"Why should I tell you the truth! I'm twenty years old for God's sake! I should be aloud to go where I please without you sticking your nose in!" She couldn't believe how mad she was at her stepmother. She hadn't acted like this since she was a teenager. She noticed the hurt look on Karen's face. "I'm sorry…I shouldn't have shouted like that."

"It's okay Sarah" Karen said after a long pause. "I know this is a hard time for you. But what you need now is to be around people who care about you not to lock yourself away. I know I'm probably not the best one to talk to. So Lysander said that as soon as you're found he wants to meet you in the park." Karen put her hand on Sarah's shoulder. Will you go and see him?"

"…Okay" Sarah said softly.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Sarah had gotten dressed into jeans and a green vest-top and headed off to the local park to meet with Lysander.

When she arrived she noticed that he was alone sitting on a secluded park bench. His blond hair shimmered in the sun light, and when he saw Sarah, his eyes lit up and his white teeth beamed her a friendly smile. She sat down next to him on the bench as he gave her a warm hug. He looked at her and sighed.

"Sarah, where have you been" he said calmly. Sarah felt comforted by the sound of his voice. She felt a sort of safeness in his prescence. Like she could trust him with anything - well almost.

"Look I'm sorry for worrying everyone I…I just wanted to be alone yesterday okay" she said.

"Okay…I can understand that, so where did you go?" he asked inquisitively.

"You know just out…around….I went to a few places"

"Anywhere nice?" he asked.

"Not really, I just took a long walk, then I went for a bite to eat at Rosie's Diner, nothing special."

"Well it must have been pretty lonely, you should have asked me to go with you."

"Well I would have done, but you see, I…I was with someone."

"Oh, anyone I know?" he asked cheerily. Sarah was getting annoyed by all of his questions.

"No, it was just an old friend."

"Really? You've never mentioned any of your old friends before" he said puzzled.

"Yeah well, I've only just came into to contact with him."

"Ah, so we know it's a 'him.'" Lysander nudged Sarah and smiled, "Have you got yourself a new secret boyfriend" he said teasingly.

"No no, he's not my boyfriend, I hardly know him really. Come on let's go for a walk" she said standing up trying to change the topic.

"Well who was he then?" he asked.

"Just someone okay! Stop asking questions." she yelled as she started to walk off.

There was a slight pause for a second. Sarah wondered why Lysander was not saying anything or walking after her. He was never usually this prying. But anyhow Sarah was relieved that he was no longer asking questions. That was...until...he spoke again...saying words that made Sarah's heart jump out of it's comfort zone and into a chilling place.

"Was it Jareth?" said Lysander.

Sarah stopped walking. Did she hear him right? Did he say 'Jareth'? How did he know about Jareth? She slowly turned round to look at the friend she thought she knew. His face was no longer cheery, but displayed a seriousness, something that Sarah was unfamiliar with.

* * *

Uh oh, what does Lysander know? Tune in soon to find out. Better still put this story on your alerts if you haven't already. Very appreciative of the reviews so far - RK xxx 


	10. Exposed

"W…what did you say?" she asked shakily. Lysander looked as nervous as she did. He paused before taking a deep breath to speak again.

"I said, was it Jareth you saw yesterday."

Sarah was panicky. All the tell-tale signs were there. Her heart pounded, she breathed heavily, sweat seeped on her forehead and her hands were shaking. She had always felt so comfortable with Lysander but at that moment he felt like a stranger. The scariest stranger she had ever met.

"How do you know about Jareth" she nervously asked.

Lysander did not answer, just guiltily bowed his head.

"I said how do you know about Jareth!" Sarah marched back up to the bench and towered over Lysander letting him shrivel in her shadow. Lysander looked up into her eyes.

"Sit down Sarah" he said.

Sarah apprehensively sat on the chair beside him, but this time she didn't sit as close as before. He took a long sigh before speaking.

"I don't know how I'm going to tell you this so I'm just gonna say it like it is" he said noticing that Sarah was staring at him in disbelief. "Okay, I used to live in the Underground, I used to be one of them, an immortal. Five years ago I was assigned to take care of you and watch over you because you had _been_ to the Underground and survived it, which meant that you had gained special powers within you. These powers would allow you to make wishes as I assume you discovered yesterday. This magic within you made you vulnerable to Underground threats and dangers, that's why I came down to your world, to look after you and to befriend you so no one from the Underground could come and harm you."

Sarah's wide-eyed gaze illustrated how dumbfounded she was. She felt like a naïve little girl again, unaware of everything that was going around her like everything she ever knew and trusted was a lie.

"Okay, now you can ask questions" said Lysander. Still Sarah did not speak, she just stared in astonishment. "Sarah please stop staring at me like that" he said.

Sarah shook her head knowing she couldn't just sit there and do nothing. So she raised her hand and slapped Lysander right across the face.

"You jerk!" she shouted.

Lysander rubbed his cheek. "I know I deserved that!" he said.

She slapped him again.

"And that" he said. "Look I'm sorry."

"Are you? Well how come you never said anything to me before then!"

"Because…after you'd rescued your brother I thought you didn't want anything to do with that world. It was only after you went there yesterday that I thought to myself, oh maybe you do, then I'd have to tell you about the threats."

"What threats! There has never been any threats!" stated Sarah.

"That's because I stopped them all. That was my job. To protect you."

"How could you have protected me, you were just a puny kid!" she yelled.

"Sarah, I have more strength than the heaviest sumo wrestler on this earth. Don't you remember when you was fifteen and that teacher Mr. Henson at school was found dead in the classroom?" said Lysander.

"Yes he had a heart-attack" Sarah said naively.

"Wrong…I killed him" he said innocently. Sarah looked in disgust at Lysander. "But don't worry, he wasn't human, he was a monster dressed in disguise, and he wasn't really killed he was just cast out of his human form."

Sarah began to stare again.

"You can't be serious! Lysander why are you doing this to me?" she said putting her head in her hands.

"I know, I'm sorry" he said gently placing his arm around her only for her to shrug it off. "You don't realise how much this is hurting me to tell you all of this" he said trying to fight back the tears in his eyes. Lysander had hardly ever showed any sad emotion before.

"It's hurting _you_!" she shouted turning her head towards him. "How do you think I feel. Some stranger dressed up as my best friend is telling me that a bunch of monsters are after me!"

"I still am your friend Sarah" he said before she scoffed at him. "And there are things after you, not just monsters but all sorts of creatures. Mr. Henson was one of the bad ones. I couldn't tell you who he was becuase I know you would've panicked."

Sarah thought for a second while trying to catch her breath.

"You're wrong!" she said.

"No I'm not Sarah. I wish I was but I'm not."

"Mr. Henson never had anything against me. In fact he was always pleased with my work. It was only that one time that he gave me a detention for forgetting homework."

"Yes and don't you remember! That detention was on the day he died. Many other students forgot their homework but it was only _you_ he gave the detention to wasn't it. That's why I stopped him a few hours before you were supposed to go to him."

"I can't believe you're saying you killed Mr. Henson!" she said with fear in her voice.

"I told you, I didn't kill him! I just sent the monster inside of him back to the Underground so he could be imprisoned there. Sarah, if I hadn't have stopped him, then that detention with Mr. Henson would have been the last thing you ever did."

She looked at his face. He did look like he was geniunely telling the truth. But how could Sarah know what the truth was anymore.

"So Mr. Henson would have tried to kill me" she said.

"I'm afraid so, and there's been plenty more threats in your life and I've had to stop everyone of them."

"So all this time, you were just pretending to be my friend, on that day when I was all alone, you only came up to me becuase it was your job" she said, starting to believe what he was telling her.

"No Sarah, not at all, it may have started out that way but over time I really came to like you, and I didn't just save your life because it was my job, it was because I really cared about you."

She wasn't sure whether she believed him. All she wanted to do was run off and take a break from this emotional overload but she knew that there was so many questions she needed answering.

"But why would anyone want to harm me, all I did was rescue my brother and come back home" she said.

"Yes, but you are one of the only people who has ever defeated one of the Underground's most powerful beings; Jareth. Those wishes that you were granted were just a taste of the power you could have if you wanted. If you wanted Sarah, you could rule. And the creatures of the Underground would not be happy if a mortal was to rule there world." said Lysander.

"But can't you just tell them that I didn't want to rule their world." she said.

"If only it was that simple. You see the creatures of the Underground are very suspicious beings. They don't trust anyone and have very calculative minds. And now they know that you have been to their world again, so I'm afraid my job will be more demanding than ever."

"But I don't want you to protect me anymore, I just want to be left alone!"

"I'm afraid I can't let you do that Sarah, I care about you to much to let anything happen to you."

Sarah took a long hard look at her friend. Part of her hated him for lying and thought that she could never trust him again, but the other part of her was somewhat grateful for his protection and friendship over the years.

"Who assigned you to come and look after me" she asked.

"Who do you think" he said. Sarah took a moment to take all of this in. The truth had been told, but Sarah felt more oblivious to world than she had ever felt before. "Sarah, what did you wish for yesterday" asked Lysander.

"Um…I…that doesn't matter now. Anyway I didn't get time to make my last wish. That was a wish I really wanted to make" she said sadly as she stood up and walked over to a large rosebush where she turned her back to Lysander so he wouldn't see her looking upset.

Lysander followed her and stood beside her at the rosebush. There was a few minutes of peace and silence between them...

He watched her for a while with sorrowful eyes. Then he gently touched a single rose with his hands.

"Look at this rose. The beauty of it is so enchanting" he said stroking the petals. Then he slowly moved his hand down until he pricked his finger. He flinched. "But the thorns can wound…just be careful Sarah. Don't ever get fooled by the beauty of the rose" he said licking his grazed finger.

"What are you talking about" said Sarah.

"I just want you to be careful" he said. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"Yeah well I don't need you to worry about me anymore" she said quietly before walking off leaving Lysander in the park, alone with his guilt.

* * *

_Ahhhh poor poor Lysander._


	11. Cursed

The door to Sarah's house flew open as she irritably stampeded through it and moaned.

"Sarah what's wrong, did you and Lysander have a fight" said Karen who ran to the door.

Sarah snivelled and her eyes watered.

"Oh Sarah" said Karen as she gave her a hug. "I'm sure it was just a stupid argument, you'll sort it out."

"I just wish that people would stop treating me like I'm a just a kid" she cried. "it's not fair, I'm not a kid, I'm not!"

"I know I know Sarah, it's okay, you just need something to take your mind off things. Here's a thought. Why don't you come with me to my work party tonight. Its my friend Kathy's birthday."

"Oh, I don't know, I won't know anybody" said Sarah.

"Of course you will. You know Mary and Susan, and you'll be with me."

"Well what about Toby?"

"I'll arrange for a baby-sitter okay?" said Karen.

"Okay" Sarah said unenthusiastically.

"Good, now go and get yourself ready. The taxi will be here at seven."

* * *

Sarah went up to her room and dressed in a stylish black dress. She brushed her hair so it hung loosely over her shoulders, she put on a bit of make-up and some hooped earrings. Of course she didn't look as glamorous as she did at the masquerade ball but she was passably attractive. She stared tiredly at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were flooding with emotions; sadness, lust, anger, betrayal. She couldn't believe how much had happened to her in the past two weeks. She thought of what the Wiseman said to her. 

What did he mean by this, she had lost her mother so how could she find her?

"Sarah the taxi's here" shouted her stepmother from downstairs.

"Okay I'm coming" she said taking one last longing look in the mirror.

* * *

Admittedly, Sarah did feel a little better at the party. She gladly congregated with her stepmothers friends and seemed to have forgotten about her mother, Lysander and Jareth, at least for a little while anyway. She drank champagne and she even danced for a while to the classic 80s music that was played. 

"I'm just going to the ladies room" she said to one of her friends when the song had finished.

She walked out of the main hall and down a small corridor where she finally found the ladies bathroom. She walked in closing the door behind her. Whilst in the cubicle she began humming to herself, a familiar tune which played from her old musical doll and also a tune which Jareth had sung to her all those years ago, but she soon stopped when she heard a creak in the door realising that someone else had entered the bathroom. She walked out of the door and went to wash her hands. A beautiful brown haired twenty-something woman was also there fixing her make-up in the mirror.

"Hello" the woman said smiling at her.

"Hi" said Sarah.

"Are you Sarah?" the woman asked.

"Yes I am, do I know you?" Sarah asked.

"I'm Angela, I know your stepmother, she was telling me that you used to do a bit of acting."

"Well, I was only in my school drama group, it wasn't really acting" said Sarah.

"Oh, you see I was just wondering because I have an audition and I wanted some advice on the monologue that I prepared but seeing as you don't act anymore I won't trouble you" said Angela.

"Oh no it's no trouble, I could give you advice if you wanted. Let's hear it" said Sarah.

"Alright" Angela smiled. "Here it goes." She cleared her throat and began to speak.

"A curse to you is what I bestow,

To salvage the lives of the ones I know

As you are the one that we all fear

A maiden so fair should ne'er interfere

I give thou the gift of the Midas hand

Since power and peril, you seem to withstand

For gold shalt not spring from your sacred touch

But danger will come to those you love much"

As she spoke these words she threw her hands about and shouted the like she was one of the witches from Macbeth. She was not good. Sarah tried her best not to laugh at the woman.

"That's only part of it" said Angela, "do you wish for me to continue?"

"No!" retorted Sarah. "I mean, I've heard enough to know that you're...going to be great."

At that moment Lysander burst through the door looking exhausted.

"Sarah!" he shouted.

"Lysander what are you doing in a ladies bathroom!" she shouted.

"This is urgent Sarah!" said Lysander. Then he paused to look at Angela who was shocked at what was going on. "Who is she" he asked.

"She just a woman, her name is erm…"

"Angela" said Angela.

"Yeah that's right" Sarah said.

"You mean you don't know her" he said.

"No not really" said Sarah. "I was just listening to her monologue because she's auditioning for…"

"Oh no you've already listened to her!" Lysander interrupted and gave Angela a mean stare. "What did you say to her?!" he shouted.

"Lysander leave her alone. What's the matter with you!" said Sarah. "I'm so sorry about him" she said to Angela.

"It's fine" Angela said looking pretty nervous.

"No it's not fine!" shouted Lysander.Sarah had never seen him this angry.

"I'm not listening to thisLysander, you have gone crazy!" said Sarah as she stormed out of the bathroom.

"Sarah wait I need to tell you something!" shouted Lysander who tried to run after her but as he reached for the door an immense force jerked him back. That was when he realised that Angela had grabbed hold of him.

"You're not going to tell her anything" Angela said evilly with her vicious glowing red eyes staring into his. Then she punched Lysander's face which left him unconscious lying on on the floor.

* * *

Sarah angrily stomped back into the main hall. 

"Drink miss?" said a bartender holding a tray of champagne-filled glasses.

Sarah smiled and took a glass of champagne from the tray, only the glass broke in her hand and the liquid spilt all over the floor.

"Oh I'm sorry" she said.

"That's okay" said the bartender who took the broken glass off her. "Have another one."

Sarah went to take another glass from the tray but as she did, she accidentally knocked it over which then knocked all the other glasses over. Champagne was suddenly flooding the bartenders tray until he could no longer control it so he dropped it. Everyone turned their heads around as the tray and the glasses crashed to the wooden floor. All Sarah could manage was a silly little giggle to save her dignity. The bartender dismissed her so she quickly walked over to her stepmother and her friends.

"What was all that about Sarah?" asked Karen.

"Oh nothing I was just being a little clumsy" Sarah said.

"Typical you" Karen laughed. "Have you met Jonathon yet? He's been wanting to dance with you all night." A young dark haired man cheekily smiled at Sarah.

"Hey" he said. "I was watching you move earlier and I thought to myself, I'd be a fool if I didn't ask you to dance by the end of the night" Jonathon said arrogantly grabbing Sarah's arm and walking her over to the dance floor.

"Look, it's not that I'm not flattered but I don't really feel like dancing right now" demanded Sarah.

"Aw come on, don't be cold" said Jonathon who started dancing and pulling Sarah's hands in rhythm with the music.

She pulled away.

"I said I don't want to dance!"

Jonathon put his arms around her waist.

"I know you do really" he teased. "Don't be shy."

Sarah pushed him and started walking backwards.

"No I don't!" she shouted as she bumped into a young girl.

"Hey watch where you're going" the girl shouted at Sarah to which she responded by rolling her eyes. "Don't you roll your eyes at me" the girl said. Sarah tried to walk away but the girl grabbed her arm. "Don't walk away from me either, freak!"

Sarah pushed the girl away and tried to leave but the girl pulled her by the hair. Sarah also grabbed the girls hair as they scrambled around with everybody staring at them, some cheering them on and some yelling for them to stop. They slapped and kicked each other screaming and calling each other names and shouting out profanities. Mothers had to keep their children away or cover their ears. Karen stared at Sarah in shock, what had come over her? The girls started pushing each other and kicking moving closer and closer to the buffet table. Sarah stumbled over a loose cable on the floor and stumbled over into the large birthday cake. The entire room gasped. The music stopped. Sarah looked up at everyone with white icing all over her face. The other girl had cunningly moved into the crowd so it was just Sarah against the whole room.

"My cake!" a woman shouted, supposedly Kathy, the woman whose birthday it was. "You've ruined it you stupid girl!"

Every looked in Sarah at shock, even her stepmother. She heard some people whispering utterances like "she's usually such a quiet girl", and "her mother died last week, it has obviously traumatized her."

"I'm sorry...I...I'm really sorry" Sarah said before running off outside with tears in her eyes.

* * *

She ran off into the dark of the night hoping that the ground would open up for her and drag down into another world. She had never felt so humiliated. It wasn't like her to start fights with strangers and be so clumsy with glasses. What could she have done to deserve such a heavy cloud of rain over her head? And what's more, her stepmother had seen it all. Sarah would never been seen as a mature adult ever again! 

She had no idea where she was running to, but the sky was dark and if Lysander was right about Sarah being more vulnerable to otherworldly threats then the shadows of the night were the worst place to be alone in.

But Sarah was not alone. Because suddenly she could here someone chasing her. Someone's rapid footsteps were pelting on the ground behind her. As much as she tried to scurry her legs were tired and frail and her intake of oxygen had already been used up. She knew that whoever was chasing her was going to catch up with her.

"Leave me alone!" she screamed in a last attempt to salvage her capture, but the hands had already seized her body. She screamed as she was pulled back by the chaser.

"Get off!" she yelled, frantically trying to struggle out of the tightly-gripped hands who were grasping her.

"Sarah" the catcher said, who was now identified as being male.

She thrashed her arms and legs about to try and escape.

"Sarah stop it" he said as he shook her to calm her down, "it's me" he said.

She stopped struggling and looked at the chasers face.

"Lysander?" she said.

"Yes" said Lysander. "Look I need to tell you something. I saw what happened at the party…"

"Oh so now you're gonna take a stab at me too…"

"No Sarah I know it wasn't your fault." he said.

"What are you talking about?"

"That woman in the bathroom. She was one of the threats I was telling you about."

"What?…No, she was just an ordinary woman she wasn't threatening" she said naively.

"Sarah I told you they disguise themselves as ordinary humans. What exactly did she say to you when she read out that monologue to you?"

"Erm…I can't exactly remember, something about the Midas touch and erm a curse."

"Oh no!" he said putting his hands on his head. "She used the anti-Midas spell."

"The what?!"

"It means that you'll bring destruction to the ones you love. That's why all that bad stuff happened to you at the party."

"But it was Kathy's party, I don't love _Kathy_" she said.

"No but you love Karen, and it was her best friends party."

Sarah frowned confusedly. She had never realised that she actually _loved_ Karen like she loved her mother.

"Well what am I going to do" she said.

"There's nothing you can do, not until I go back to underground to find a cure."

"Well can I come with you?" she asked.

"No!" he said. "Not now everyone knows who you are, there are much worse curses than the anti-Midas curse, much worse…The best thing for you to do is to go home. You used up a lot of the curse on the party so you should be safe at home, for tonight anyway. I'll go to the Underground try and find a reverse for the spell."

Lysander kissed Sarah's forehead.

"Good luck" he said before running off leaving Sarah alone, cursed and forlorn as the howling winds swept her hair off her face revealing her deep childlike eyes, more fearful than they had ever been.

* * *

I know that some people who read this can't be bothered to review, I mean it is easy just to press the cross button on the top right corner of the screen. But I'm tellin' you - please please review. I'll love you forever plus you will get eternal happiness. Honestly you'll feel much better! Okay I'm done. See y'all at the next chap.

P.S. While I'm gone here's something to think about - Jareth with pigtails.


	12. 911

Throughout the rest of the night Sarah tossed and turned in her sleep filled with thoughts about what dangers she could bring to people and what other spells she could be put under. She felt guilty about wishing to go to the Labyrinth again. Now everyone knew her and they wanted to harm her and even worse, wanted to harm her family and friends, who were oblivious the whole situation.

* * *

She woke up at quarter past eight, went downstairs and made herself some breakfast. She sat at the table lost in thought twiddling with her locket. She didn't even realise that Karen was already in the room looking at her concernedly. Sarah jumped when she saw her stepmother, but did not say anything. What could she say - 'Oh I'm sorry about the party but it wasn't my fault I was under a spell by a woman disguised as an immortal from another world!'

Karen walked up to the breakfast table and sat down beside Sarah.

"I'm sorry" Karen said which surprised Sarah. "I shouldn't have made you go to the party, it was too soon after all that's happened…seeing you behave like that made me realise that well, you're obviously not your full self and…you just need more time to recover."

Sarah didn't know what to say. So she did not respond. A simple appreciative smile was enough for Karen to leave Sarah to sit at the table alone while her she went back upstairs to wake up Toby.

* * *

Sarah must have been sitting at the table for over half an hour. Her breakfast had been consumed many minutes ago and her tea had gone cold. She just sat there lost in her own thoughts while Karen and Toby played games in the living room.

A few minutes later and the phone rang. Karen went into the hallway to answer. After eavesdropping on her conversation Sarah knew that whoever was calling had made Karen sound disappointed as her tone of voice was snappy and frustrated. After hanging up she walked over to Sarah.

"That was work…they said they needed me to go in for a few hours" she said.

"So what's the matter?" Sarah asked.

"Well it means that you'll have to watch Toby. I know you don't like it when I ask you to baby-sit but I really have no choice and…"

"No no it's fine" said Sarah, "It's the least I can do after I practically destroyed your work party yesterday."

"Sarah I told you, don't keep thinking about that, you weren't in the right state of mind" Karen snapped. "But if you're okay with looking after Toby then it'll be a big help. Besides I'll only be gone for a few hours" Karen said as she gathered her coat and shoes together ready to leave the house.

But Sarah suddenly looked worried. Karen had just reminded her that Sarah wasn't in a fit state of mind…and there was nothing she could do about it! And now she was going to be alone with Toby, her dearly beloved little brother!

"Actually…" Sarah said to Karen just as she was leaving, "I've just remembered…me and Lysander have plans so, you might have to ask someone else" Sarah said cautiously.

"Well I'm leaving now. Besides I'm sure Lysander would love to come round here and help you baby-sit. Okay, I see you in a few hours" Karen said. "Goodbye Toby!" she shouted into the living room. Toby did not answer, he was to busy playing with his train set. Karen shut the door leaving Sarah alone with her fate.

"Okay" Sarah muttered to herself as she went and sat in the living room chair, "if I just sit here for three hours then nothing can go wrong" she said smiling at her brother.

* * *

The first hour went by without any problems. She watched Toby play with his trains, but then he crashed them all so he transferred to his reading books. Sarah read him a couple of stories during the next hour but as the third hour approached Sarah realised that nature was calling. She didn't want to have to leave Toby but unless she wanted Karen to come back home to a watery chair then Sarah had no choice.

"Toby I'm just going to the bathroom I won't be long" she said as she quickly walked of the room.

"Okay" said Toby, "I'm going to pretend that I'm superman" he said as he started running around with his arms stretched out, jumping on the chairs and knocking over ornaments.

Sarah slowly walked back into the living room and gazed at her accident-prone little brother.

"On second thoughts, I think you should follow me" Sarah said as she grabbed hold Toby's hand and made him follow her upstairs. She tried to ignore his several attempts to bite and smack her hand for she knew that if she left him some crazy immortal from another world would probably come and bit and smack him while she was in the bathroom.

"Get off" screamed Toby, "I don't wanna go poo poo with you!"

When they reached the top of the stairs Sarah ordered Toby to stand outside of the door.

"Now, while I'm in there I want you to keep singing me your favourite song okay" she said.

"Okay!" Toby said giddily.

Sarah walked into the bathroom as Toby sat outside and began to sing.

"_Sarah is a stupid head, she's too scared to go to bed" _he sang. _She's too scared to go poo poo, so she makes me sing, la la la la la…" _

Sarah giggled as she flushed the chain and washed her hands. "Keep singing okay Toby."

_"Silly little Sarah has a stupid face, she hasn't got any friends…" _Sarah knew he was just a little boy but she was a little offended by the words of a boy she once rescued from a Goblin King, but still it was better than him being struck by her curse, so she listened some more.

_"She's got googly eyes and a big…_aghhhhh!" he screamed.

Sarah panicked as she heard a loud bang outside the door.

"Toby!" she shouted as she ran out of the door.

Toby was no longer on the hallway where she asked him to wait. She quickly approached the top of the staircase and looked down in horror.

"Oh no! Toby!" she shrieked.

The little boy was lying at the bottom of the stairs, he must have fell while he was dancing to the song, the song Sarah asked him to sing! She thudded down the stairs and knelt by him.

"Owww" he cried, "it hurts!". Sarah was thankful that he was not unconscious.

"Where does it hurt" she asked.

"My head!" he cried.

"It's okay Toby, you'll be okay" she said as she ran to the phone and dialled 911.

"Hello…I need an ambulance quickly…my little brother has fallen down the stairs…he's conscious but I think he's bumped his head…okay thank you" she said as she put down the phone and ran back to Toby.

"Don't worry someone's coming" she said as she stroked his head. She couldn't see any blood, but she noticed a large bump where he must have banged it. "You be brave" she kept saying to him.

* * *

An ambulance came within minutes of the phonecall. They walked through the door where they found Sarah and Toby at the bottom of the stairs. Seeing them act so speedily with their fluorescent uniforms made Sarah's heart race within her doomed soul. They quickly carried him outside and into the back of the ambulance where they headed off to the hospital. Sarah hated herself for leaving him, just for a few minutes in the bathroom. The guilt was too much to handle that she began to cry while she was in the ambulance. One of the paramedics put his hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry" he said, "it was only a nasty bump, you're brother should be fine. All kids fall down the stairs once in their lives. Just be thankful that his is out of the way now" he laughed.

She smiled unconvincingly. If only he knew the real reason for why Toby fell.

* * *

A quarter of an hour later Karen arrived at the City Hospital. She hurriedly walked into the children's ward. Her middle-class attire stood out from all the poverty of the large crowded room. She self-importantly looked around until she spotted Sarah sitting beside a bed. A doctor was there checking Toby's heartbeat with a stethoscope, Toby, now looking as right as rain, giggled every time the cold medical instrument touched his chest.

"Thank goodness" Karen said as she prudently rushed up to her son. "What happened Sarah, all I heard from your phone call was that I needed to come to the hospital quickly…I didn't know what to think" she said in a tearful voice.

"I'm sorry I had no time to explain" said Sarah.

"Well what happened!" Karen shouted now looking at the doctor who was joking around with Toby.

He embarrassedly straightened himself up.

"Erm…your son fell down the stairs, but luckily enough he has not suffered from any major injuries. He has a slight bump on the head but he should be able to go home after he's been fully checked over, now if you'll please excuse me I just have to go and check on those children over there" the doctor said as he walked off. Karen shook her head as she watched him run to a child and pick her up to swing her around. She turned to face Sarah.

"Sarah what was he doing messing around at the top of the stairs!" she snapped.

"I…I'm sorry I…" she said.

"It wasn't Sarah's fault" said Toby, "She went to have a poo poo and she told me to stay downstairs…but I didn't…and I fell over when I was dancing on the stairs. Sarah helped me get better."

Sarah stared in shock and revelation. She couldn't believe that he lied for her. She almost had tears in her eyes from pride of her little brother. It could be told by her face that she felt more glad than ever that she rescued him six years ago.

"Really" said Karen, "oh well I'm sorry Sarah." She looked at her son. "Just as long as you're alright." she said smiling at him while he sticked out his tongue.

They all laughed and for a moment Sarah seemed like she was actually happy again.

* * *

_This is supposed to be a JS story right? So I know what you're all thinking. Where the hell has Jareth gone?? Don't worry folks, if you'd care to wait for chapter 13 which will be along sooner than you know it, he might just turn up again xxx _

_Keep on keep on keep on keep on reviewing all thorugh the night. You gotta keep on keep on keep on doing it righhht! - Where's this from? _

_P.S. Did y'all know that in the US and Canada they are releasing a new special Labyrinth DVD with never before seen footage and interviews - bitches, I live in the UK! _


	13. Giving Back

Sarah, Toby and Karen arrived home at around six o'clock that evening. Toby had a bandage on his head but still he wanted to return to his superhero game.

"Calm down dear" shouted Karen as Toby went running off into the living room.

"Have you phoned dad yet?" asked Sarah.

"No" Karen sighed. "It will just worry him. I think it's best if we explain it to him when he gets home."

Sarah felt a little worried. What if her dad asked more questions and decided to blame it on her. She would hate if her dad became mad at her. He was the man she needed more than anyone at this moment. Even though, she knew it was for the best that he was away. She couldn't bear to think of what the threats would do to him.

* * *

"Right I'm going to bed" Sarah said two hours later. 

"Already?" asked Karen. "It's a little early isn't it?"

"Well it's been a long day. I'm tired. And if I stay down here I'll only cause more trouble" she said.

"Why would you cause more trouble?" asked Karen.

"Oh…I…I" said Sarah who forgot that her family were oblivious to the threats. "I'm just feeling drowsy" she said.

"Well you get a good nights sleep" said Karen. Things will feel better tomorrow."

"If only" Sarah muttered to herself as she walked upstairs.

* * *

Sarah laid on her bed motionless. Her eyes were fixated on the wall, like they were trying to see past the wallpaper and bricks and looking for a whole other world to come to her and give her the answers to her all of her troubles. She was obviously confused. Her mother died and all she got for sympathy was a whole load of new problems, not to mention a curse that brought bad luck to everyone she cared about. She slowly closed her eyes but did not sleep, just tried to block away all of the bad vibes that she had been affected by as the cool wind blew on her face. Strange, she thought. The breeze was pretty strong. She didn't realise she had left the window open but she was too relaxed to get up and shut it. She didn't even bother opening her eyes. Her pictorial visage shone with innocence and grace. Even in the night sky you could see her rosy red lips and lavish jet black eyelashes. 

While her eyes were closed Sarah could swear she felt the presence of someone leaning over her bed. She felt like there was someone watching her sleeping, or at least watching her pretend to sleep. Whoever it was she felt comforted by their attendance. The shadow that leaned over her crept in closer. She could almost feel the person breathing on her face. She smiled slightly as the cool breath cleansed her complexion. Then the shadow came closer, until there faces were almost touching. An exhilarating chill when down her spine. Sarah was sure of who it was and she was sure that he was going to kiss her. This was how she felt the other night when she made her third wish. But he didn't kiss her. His lips gently brushed passed hers and proceeded to the side of her face where he whispered softly into her ear.

"Sarah" he whispered gently making her smile. "You left without saying goodbye."

She teasingly did not answer, nor did she open her eyes. "Oh I see, playing that game are you? Well I'll just leave then."

Sarah felt his cool breath and warm body disappear from her senses. The room felt much emptier than it did a few seconds ago. The smile on her face turned into a frown. She gradually opened her eyes. He wasn't there. Then her eyes darted to the corner of the room where she saw a shadowy figure standing with his arms crossed and his legs slightly slanted up against the wall. He slowly walked forward until she could clearly see his charismatic face glowing in the light of the moon that shone through her window. He wore a black ruffled tightly-fitted regency shirt which bared a glimpse of his smooth firm chest.

"You looked worried then. Did you think I left?" he scoffed. She didn't reply, just frowned. "Well, I think you deserve some sort of retaliation seeing as you played a disappearing act the other night."

"I didn't realise that I was going to wake up in my own bed! You should have reminded me that I only had one day in the Labyrinth to make my wishes!" she shouted. He laughed at her as if he was teasing her all along. "Well it's okay laughing" she continued, "but I didn't get to make my final wish!"

"I never realised you were so ravenous Sarah. You should be lucky you had three wishes never mind a fourth one. Besides, you can't really get any better than that third wish you made" he teased. "Well…maybe you could get a little better" he teased even more, flashing her a wide smirk.

She rolled her eyes at his comments.

"Well I wanted my last wish to be special and I did have something in mind actually" she moaned.

"Really?" he said surprised, "would you care to share this wish" he asked.

"No I wouldn't, anyway there's no point now, the wishes are over and I have more important problems to think about now."

"You wouldn't be talking about the anti-Midas curse would you?" Jareth asked.

"How did you know about that" she said.

"Lysander mentioned something."

"Oh and that's another thing! What the hell were you doing sending someone to pretend to be my friend but really they were lying to me and secretly killing head teachers behind my back!"

"If I had not sent him you would be dead by now!" he shouted.

"And whose fault is that!" she retorted.

"Yours!" he shouted.

"Why? Just because I rescued my brother!"

"No because you chose to return home instead of staying in the Labyrinth. That's why? And the immortals don't like it when a human is living on Earth with Underground powers! I thought Lysander told you this!"

"So what you're saying if I stayed with you then I wouldn't get any threats?

"Yes that's exactly what I'm saying. But I knew that you would have to save your brother because you're too damn good-hearted!"

Jareth paused for a while as he tried to subside himself.

"Well how do I make these curses stop Jareth! What's the cure?" she pleaded.

"I…I" he hesitated.

Sarah jumped when the landing light suddenly switched on.

"Sarah" asked Karen from outside, "is everything alright, I heard you talking to yourself."

"Yes I'm fine. I was just reading" she said.

"You're sounding a little hoarse dear. Maybe you should get some rest."

"Okay" Sarah said as the light switched off.

They both calmed down and sat in total silence for a few minutes.

"Now look what you've done" Sarah said to Jareth, "you've made my stepmother think that I talk to myself…and that I talk like a man!" she whispered.

Jareth chuckled to himself.

"Look I promise you I will not let anything happen to you. Those threats _will_ be taken care of and they _will_ go. But for now Lysander and I will take care of you" he said smiling at her. This was the first time she felt like he actually cared for her. "Well I better go then. I will not trouble you anymore" he said turning his back to Sarah and walking up to the window as if he was going to fly out of it.

"Wait…" she asked. "Don't, don't go."

Jareth turned his head around slowly and presented a devilish yet charming smirk on his lips. Sarah coyly sat up on her bed.

"Sarah is it really wise for me to stay" he asked. "Aren't you afraid that I'll…seduce you" he taunted.

"I'm not afraid" she said boldly which surprised him a little.

He walked up to her bed and sat down beside her. He looked into her eyes for a moment but then looked away almost as if he had suddenly become bashful.

"So why did you send Lysander down here" she asked. "I thought you hated me for defeating you, why would you care if I got killed or not."

"Sarah I would never wish it upon anyone to be killed just for getting through my Labyrinth, I'm not that evil you know. And I never hated you I…I…, it was inevitable that you were going to rescue Toby. A young girl like you would have never wanted to stay. I don't blame you" he laughed. "If I could escape from those mangy goblins then I would."

Sarah felt a little bit of pity for the man, but knew that he had too much arrogance to be pitied.

"You're right, I would have never stayed" she said. "But it doesn't mean that I wasn't tempted. Why else would I have made that wish…" she hesitated." "It was a good wish. I liked it. I mean, there's no harm in it is there? If it feels…you know, then why can't a grown woman wish for a simple…kiss." Jareth smirked. He could see though her uncomfortable hints. "Anyway, I need to try and find a cure for this Midas curse or whatever" she said trying to change the subject.

"You know, if you wanted to repeat that third wish all you have to do is say" said Jareth arrogantly. "After all, even though I cannot grant you anymore wishes it does not mean that I am disinclined to grant your requests" he said in hope that she would ask him the question he wanted to hear.

Sarah looked very uncomfortable. It was obvious that she wanted to ask for a kiss but felt too compelled to do so.

"Very well. The other night you wished that I would kiss you" he said. "This time, I wish that you would kiss me." He looked into her eyes with a charming gaze. Sarah found his arrogance annoying but strangely attractive. How could she refuse him now. "Will you grant my wish" he said.

She looked at him with curiosity and excitement. Her hand slowly crept towards his shaven face and touched it lightly. Her other hand took his gloved fingers and placed them around her waist. She moved in closer until her body was in touch with his. The warmth of his chest passed through her silky nightgown and into her skin. Although he had only requested for a kiss, their hearts pulsated as if they thought something more was bound to happen. She moved her lips towards his and teased them just as he did to her. They lingered over his face until slowly she moved in and began to devour his quintessence once again. This time all the nerves had vanished. Sarah felt confident, free and grown-up. She gave a sigh as Jareth moved his hands up her body and towards her face and embraced her with his lips, caressing her mouth and neck. The excitement grew more and more she could hardly contain herself. She lay her back down on the bed and pulled him down with her. Her hands moved to his chest as she tried to find a way to pull of his shirt, whilst still trying to feel the passion of his enchanting kisses. For a second Jareth hesitated. She began to feel embarrassed and wondered why he had paused. That was when she realised that they were not alone.

Sarah turned her head to the right where Jareth was already looking. She gasped in horror when she saw a shadowy figure lurking by the window.

* * *

_Bear with me while I get the other chapters completed. Promise it won't take that long, Reviews please as always - Chill! - RKx_


	14. Threatened

The figure lingered by the window for a short while. Sarah looked on in terror, not saying a word, scared of who this shadow was and what it wanted. Her pulse was racing, and the sweat that she had gained from her passionate encounter with Jareth had turned into sweat of fear. Jareth didn't speak either but just stared at the shadow with curiosity and silent anger. They both seemed like they were waiting for the figure to emerge. They still were lying on Sarah's bed, but their grasp on each other had loosened up as they obviously felt uncomfortable knowing that they had just been watched by an unidentified man, woman or thing.

Sarah knew what it was - it was a threat! The creatures of the Underground had clearly found out that Jareth was with her. The power of the Goblin King and the new abilities of the mortal girl were plainly a huge threat to their civilization. But the major question that lurked in Sarah and Jareth's minds was the identity of this mystery threat. After all, Lysander told Sarah that the threats could look just like humans.

"Who are you?" asked Jareth finally in his stern demanding voice.

The figure laughed quietly but evilly, making Sarah's heart jump with fright. From its wicked cackle they could now tell that it was definitely male.

"I demand you to give me an answer you vile being!" ordered Jareth who sat up on Sarah's bed and straightened himself up.

The man walked forward slowly with heavy footsteps so that his identity could just be distinguished in the slight glimmer of the moonlight.

"Now now Jareth. There's no need for name-calling. You know better than that" said the man.

Sarah gazed in surprise at the man she once thought was a gentleman.

"Quince?!" she said.

"That's right, me!" said the tall dark noble-looking man who had treated Sarah so gallantly at the ball.

"What the hell do you think you are playing at Quince?!" shouted Jareth whose face now looked infuriated.

"I should be asking you the same question" said Quince looking inquisitively at Jareth and Sarah sitting on the same bed.

"I don't understand Quince" said Sarah modestly.

"Poor little Sarah. So naïve and innocent. Do you really think I'd actually dream of being your date at that ball. Remember this - 'I never believed in angels before I saw you'" he said in the charming voice he spoke with at the ball. "Ha! I can't believe you fell for that." Quince said as he started to move closer. His voice changed from its fake friendliness and changed to a scary, threatening tone. "Try and understand this Sarah. A careless mortal like you should not be exploiting the Underground just because you feel lonely and worthless in your own world!"

Sarah felt offended by this, but she knew that there was no time for her temper tantrums in this dangerous game.

"Look I'm sorry Quince okay, I would never have wished to go to your world if I knew the chaos that it was cause, but I would never try to take over your world. Never!" she cried.

"You don't need to apologise Sarah" snapped Jareth. "You've done nothing wrong." He looked at Quince with disgust. "I should have known that you were behind all this you wretched fool!"

"Oh come on Jareth. You can drop the act now. We've got her. There's nowhere for her to run" said Quince.

"What's he talking about?" asked Sarah.

"Nothing! Can't you see he's trying to wind you up" said Jareth.

"Come come Jareth. Don't lose sight of the game. Just because you've fallen for the girl, doesn't mean we should abandon our plan" said Quince.

"SHUT _UP_ QUINCE!" shouted Jareth.

"What plan?" asked Sarah who felt totally naïve to the whole situation.

"Surely you don't think Jareth really _liked_ you." said Quince who then let out a evil cackle. "It was our plan all along. The ball was supposed to be the perfect setting. We couldn't decide which one of us would get the pleasure in killing you. Then when you ran off into the bathroom I thought perfect! This is my chance. Then Jareth interrupted so I assumed that he would do the honours…". Quince then turned to look at the now furious Goblin King and smirked at him. "If I'd have known you were going to end up kissing her then I would have done it all on my own!"

"You filthy, repellent LIAR!" shouted Jareth as he stood up off the bed and quickly pulled out a crystal from beneath his cloak.

Sarah looked on in shock as Jareth was about to hurl the crystal at Quince. But Quince was too quick for Jareth and thrust his hand forward so that Jareth went flying across the room, hitting the back wall with a loud bang.

"Jareth!" Sarah screamed as she saw that the Goblin King had been almost knocked unconscious.

"Sarah" Jareth uttered in a hoarse and quiet voice, clearly in pain from the power that came from Quince's hand. "Don't…believe what he…said. I…would…never…"

"Its alright I know! I believe you!" cried Sarah who jumped off her bed and ran over to the wounded king.

"Where do you think you're going" said Quince as he grabbed Sarah's hand and pinned her against the wall beside her bed.

"Leave me alone!" she screamed noticing that Quince's eyes had turned from brown to a bright emerald green just like Wanda the Witch's had.

Quince held her wrists tightly making her scream in pain. His eyes pierced into hers. She tried to resist but they were just too hypnotising. Everything in the room seemed like it was twirling around her. Jareth was trying to shout for Quince to stop it but his voice was getting fainter, being overtaken by the ghostly screams of unidentified people in Sarah's head. All she could see was Quince's intense green eyes which were slowly putting her into a deep trance. The screams were getting louder and louder. She herself wanted to shout out but she couldn't speak or move. His eyes had her trapped. Her head was swimming with dizziness. Her brain could not take the noise anymore and her eyes couldn't take the intensity.

Eventually she fell to the floor with a loud thud. Her cold, petrified eyes were still wide open, but she was not moving. She was lifeless!…Quince had hypnotised her into unconsciousness so he could prepare for what he had planned all along - getting rid of Sarah once and for all!

* * *

Oooooooooh!

Hey all - it's RebelKat here. On Wednesday I will be away in Spain for a week so if I cannot get the next chapter up by then, you'll have to wait until I get back. Aghhh! Don't get mad at me! It all adds to the suspense. See you soon!


	15. Locked Up

Her eyes flickered in the small beam of light that shone directly on her, seeping through the terrifying darkness of the room. She had not yet opened her eyes but she could already sense the chilling atmosphere which she was about to encounter. Her vision was blurry and her eyes stung, unsurprisingly from the power of Quince's spellbinding gaze. As she finally peeked out into her consciousness she could make out the shape of someone who was leaning by her.

"Jareth?" she asked feebly.

Suddenly a burst of laughter erupted from several ugly goblins, including the leaning figure that Sarah now realised was also a goblin, not Jareth!

Their laughter startled Sarah, making her sit up abruptly and gaze around at the whole of the dungeon, where she could see Quince resting against a large rock, sneering to himself. He signalled for the goblins to leave and Sarah watched as they dissapeared into the darkness.

"Jareth's not here Sarah" he said walking closer to her. "But don't worry…you won't be here for long either" he said, his smirk becoming even wider.

The room was a huge dark pit. Looking up she could see just a small speck of light from a gap in the ceiling but it was too far to even think about escaping that way. She looked around the whole of the room. It was so dark that she couldn't tell how big the room was and whether there was anywhere to try and escape to. There were no walls, doors or corners in sight.

She noticed that the 'evil Quince' had some similar traits to Jareth. The way he fiddled about with his gloves and the way he patronised her with his wicked grin. But Sarah had learned to like Jareth and trust him to a certain degree. Quince made her more scared than Jareth ever had.

Sarah tried to stand up and search for an escape. That was when she realised that her foot had been locked up in a large chain. She tried to struggle free but there was no way that she herself could ever break out of the chain's strength.

Quince laughed.

"Not even Jareth himself could use his magic to break you out of that chain."

"Where is he?" she asked.

Quince thought about it for a while.

"Tell you what, why don't I show you where your precious lover is."

Quince held his hand out so it pointed to the top left corner of the room. All of a sudden there was a loud clanging sound. Sarah watched as a small metal cage dropped down from out of nowhere. Inside the cage was a snowy white owl which looked shabby and wounded. Some of it's feathers looked like they had been ripped off and it had blood around it's face and claws. Sarah looked into the owls eyes. To anyone else they would just look like ordinary owl eyes, but Sarah could see the person inside the owl.

"Jareth" she whispered.

"Yes that's right" said Quince who walked up to the caged and leered at the owl. "I like him better as a bird. Much better to look at, much less argumentative."

"Please Quince, you're problem's with me not Jareth. Can't you just change him back" she pleaded.

"I'm afraid I can't. What kind of idiot would I be if I set free the only person who could stop it happening.

"Stop what happening?" she asked, afraid of what the answer might be.

Quince glared into her eyes.

"Your death!" he sneered.

Quince walked back a few steps and clicked his fingers - a sound that seemed to echo around the whole room. Sarah didn't know what the click was for but whatever it was, it wasn't going to be pleasant.

She could faintly hear the sounds of marching from far away. It was like a whole army was coming for her. She sat there pathetically, left to face whatever evil was approaching. The footsteps were getting closer. From the shadows in the distance she could barely make out the silhouettes of human-shaped figures marching towards her.

_STOMP STOMP STOMP_

She quivered as she held her breath, terror flooded her eyes as if this was to be her end. The stomping got closer and louder. Sarah gasped in awe as she gaped upon the tens of skeletons that were drawing near to her. She could barely move, the chain wrapped around her foot so tightly that even a slight movement of her leg would injure her. She looked at their faces. Their expressions were a fixated open-mouthed cold stare. They carried axes with them and moved so that their marching synchronised with each other. Their icy stares pierced into Sarah's fearful eyes.

She was confident that she was going to die any second. The skeletons came closer and closer until they were only metres from her. But surprisingly, they stopped, just as they were getting close.

Sarah looked confused.

"What's the matter, why don't they just kill me now?" she asked.

Quince laughed.

"They're not going to kill you - I am. They're just going to guard you for a while while I go and get the others.

"What others?"

"You don't think I'm going to just kill you without letting all my people enjoy the show do you? Sarah I have better style than that. We all want to make sure that you die, so that you can never return to the Underground ever again!"

The dark room suddenly went a little bit lighter. That was when Sarah became aware that she was located in an old abandoned theatre, with hundreds of seats which she now realised that soon would be filled with creatures from the Underground who would watch her die live on stage!

"Please Quince" she cried.

"Sarah I have no heart…I'm damn good at acting sentimental as you now know, but I would never feel any sympathy for you so you might as well save your tears" he said as he began to make his way off the stage and out of the theatre, leaving Sarah on the stage with the caged owl and the skeleton guards.

She knew that now she only had one hope - Lysander.

"Oh I almost forgot" said Quince. "Don't think that I'm unaware of that fancy-pants buddy of yours.

Suddenly, another cage dropped down from the right hand corner of the room. This cage was much bigger. As it reached the ground Sarah noticed that Lysander was lying unconscious inside the metal box.

Sarah began to cry.

"Poor Sarah" Quince said mockingly. "Oh well, it'll all be over soon" he said before he left the theatre.

* * *

For the first few minutes she did not know what to do. Her head kept turning from Jareth to Lysander but they were both hopeless in their current positions. She couldn't shout for Lysander to wake up because she was afraid the guards would do something to her.

She couldn't help but look at them. Their fixated stare chilled her to the bone. They didn't move. They didn't speak. They just terrified her with their unavoidable presence.

At least that was until something from the far end of the theatre had distracted them. There was a loud banging noise just outside the door, making them all turn their heads together to face the back of the theatre.

Suddenly the back door came flying open and to Sarah's amazement, in came her old, courageous friends - Hoggle, Ludo, Sir Didymus, Ambrosius and the Fireys!

"I'm comin' Sarah" shouted Hoggle.

"Fear not my Lady" said Sir Didymus.

Quickly, the skeleton-guards stood up and marched over to the creatures. Typically, Sir Didymus charged up to them without a fear in the world, while Ambrosius tried as much as he could to resist his masters commands. Ludo's bellowing howls echoed around the theatre, causing lots of rocks to come rolling through the doors. Hoggle was trying to find a way of getting to the stage and rescue Sarah, and the Firey's were jumping around all over the place. It wasn't clear whether they were actually helping or not.

It was just a shame that none of the little animals were doing any good. Sarah should have known that Quince would have not sent in guards that would easily be defeated by a few little creatures. The skeletons were not affected by anything Sarah's friends had tried to do to them. They flung Sir Didymus across the room and blocked Hoggle's path to the stage. The rocks that Ludo called didn't even touch them and unsurprisingly the skeleton-guards recognised that the Firey's had removeable heads which they easily took off and threw about. The skeletons no longer marched but were swiflty chasing Sarah's friends and bruising them up badly. Sarah wanted to shout for her friends to run but she knew that her voice would just put all of the guard's attention on her again. She simply sat and prayed that they weren't badly hurt. Eventually the skeletons chased them off outside of the doors leaving Sarah alone in the theatre - apart from the owl and the unconscious boy.

One thing her friends had managed to do though was to distract the guards from her. Sarah knew that she had not got much little time to try and wake up Lysander and to find a way out of this whole mess before the guards, Quince and the whole entire Underground appeared to watch her death!

* * *

_Ooooooooooooooooooh! What will she do!I wasn't going to update another chapter until I got back but o thought - "Hey, what the heck" - you're all so loyal to the story. Are you pleased? I'm not adding anymore until I return though - I need time to breathe people!! The next chapter will arrive in just over a week. I think there will be one or two final chapters, as well as an epilogue and a final note from me. Until then xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx_

_P.S. musicalexpert I'm sooo jealous. I've always wanted to go to New York!_


	16. Showdown

She quickly turned to face Lysander. He was her only hope seeing as Jareth was stuck as a bird. She saw his pale, beaten face. Seeing her best friend lying unconscious made her realise that he had always cared for her no matter who he was and what he hadn't told her. All he ever did was protect her and now because of her he was locked up in a cage and out for the count.

"Lysander!" she cried, hopelessly knowing that her voice wouldn't wake him up.

She turned to look at the caged owl.

"Jareth what do I do?" she pleaded.

The owl stared wistfully into her eyes as if he really wanted to help but knew it was hopeless.

She looked around the stage. There was nothing that was of any use, and even if there was, she was locked up anyway. She saw at Lysander's weak and fail face. He had saved her so many times and she never thanked him because she never knew it. But she knew that she couldn't give up without a fight. She had to repay her friend somehow. She looked around again. There was nothing! No long stick to poke him with, no stones or small items to throw at him.

Suddenly the owl started to make a hooting sound.

"What is it Jareth" she said quickly turning towards him.

The owl looked up. Raising her head Sarah could see that there was an unsteady beam which looked like it would fall any second. Is she banged her foot hard enough on the back of the wall it could fall down.

"I can't do it Jareth. It might hurt him!" she said pleading with Jareth.

The owl hooted some more as if to say that it was the only choice.

She bit her lip and looked up again. She raised her free foot, as her other one was still chained up, and slammed it against the back wall. Immediately the stage began to wobble and shake. Sarah panicked with fear. It was such an old theatre the whole building might have collapsed. She watched the beam above her. It shook a little…then shook some more. Eventually it broke loose and tumbled to the floor. Sarah screamed as it landed right on top of Lysander's cage. She winced her eyes desperately praying that the damage wasn't too bad. She looked at the beam which had crashed into the cage with such a loud bang, Lysander would have had to have been dead for it not to have waken him.

Lysander's eyes opened and he quickly jumped up looking startled. Sarah had never seen him so frightened but all she could do was smile. She was so happy and relieved that he was awake.

"Sarah, where are we, what are you smiling at?" he said in such a sincere way.

"Oh Lysander I'm so glad you're okay" she said.

"Sarah, what's happening?". He turned to look at the other cage. "And what's that owl doing here?"

"That's Jareth. There's not much time to explain 'cause they'll be back any second, but the threats found me, and Quince is their leader. He locked us all up and he's planning to kill me in front of an entire audience full of Underground creatures!"

"What?…I don't believe…and Quince!? I treated him like a brother!" said a shocked Lysander.

"I know. I was just as surprised, but there's no time! We have to find a way out of here!"

Lysander tried to sit up but shrieked in pain.

"What's wrong" she asked.

"My arm. I think it's broken."

Tears welled up in Sarah's eyes. She feared for him and she feared for herself.

Looking at Jareth as a small and feeble owl she realised that he was no longer the powerful King he was before which made her fear for him too.

"What are we going to do?" asked Sarah knowing that Lysander didn't have the answer.

He sighed. There was a moment of silence for a few seconds which seemed to them like an eternity, then Sarah decided to speak.

"I'm sorry" she said. "For being so angry with you. I know now that you was only trying to protect me, and I know you've always been my friend…my only true friend on Earth."

"Hey, no apologies okay, you had every right to act like you did." he said before groaning trying not to move his injured arm. "I should be telling you I'm sorry. If I'd have told you about the threats earlier then this might never had happened."

Sarah laughed.

"I thought you just said no apologies."

"I know, I'm sorry" he said making her and Lysander laugh again.

As Lysander was laughing he realised that there was something in his pocket. He took a look and started laughing once more.

"What's so funny Lysander. Don't you realise we're going to be killed any second" said Sarah who began to panic.

"That fool" said Lysander as he pulled out a knife from his pocket with his good arm.

The knife was no normal knife. It was very sharp, and look enchanted as it had a golden glow to it. Sarah stared in awe as Lysander smiled and looked up at her.

"Where did you get that knife from?" Sarah asked.

"I took it with me when I went looking for a cure from the anti-Midas curse, just in case I bumped into any threats. I was going to use it when I got captured by the figure who I now realise was Quince, but he knocked me out cold in less than a second!"

"But what will you do with it?"

"I'm guessing Quince didn't have much time to plan all of this, seeing as he's only just gone to get the others. That means that this cage is probably made of nothing more than ordinary metal. Surely with this knife I can cut my way out of it."

"Well hurry!" said Sarah who's eyes were half filled with anticipation and half filled with fear.

Lysander held the knife tightly in his hand and slowly touched one of the metal bars with it. He began to smile as the knife smoothly cut through each bar like it was cutting through a piece of cake. Every cut made quite a loud screeching sound but Sarah couldn't help but smile as she watched her best friend free himself. Even though the bars cut quite easily it still took a few minutes until he was free. When he'd cut enough bars he struggled with his broken arm to get out and then walked over to Sarah. He bent down as she watched him cut through the chain that was locking her up. When it broke free Sarah sighed with relief then rubbed her sore foot, but then stopped as she looked in pity at Lysander's broken arm.

"Don't worry about it" he said noticing that she was watching him trying not to act like he was in pain. "Let's just set Jareth free and get the hell out of here."

Sarah stood up and they walked over to the other cage. But the voices that were coming from just outside the theatre made Sarah jump. It was Quince!

"We could sneak out of the side door so they wouldn't see us" Lysander who had his knife in his hand ready to cut the bird cage open.

"It's too late" whispered Sarah hopelessly.

Just as Lysander was about to cut the cage open he yelped.

"Ouch!" he whispered noticing that the owl had bit him. "What are you doing Jareth?" he said as he dropped the knife from his hand.

The owl screeched then lifted it's left wing and pointed it in a certain direction. Sarah followed it's wing until she realised that it was pointing to the side door, signalling for them to leave without him.

"We can't go without you Jareth" she said as tears formed in her eyes. She reached out her hand and put it between the cage bars to stroke the bird. But the owl screeched again and peck her hand. "Ouch!" she yelped.

Jareth flapped his wings as if to say that he wanted them to go away. The voices from outside the theatre were getting louder.

"Come on Sarah. They're coming. We'll come back for Jareth, I promise."

Lysander took Sarah's hand with his good arm and they ran down the stage as fast as they could and headed towards the side door. Sarah wore only her nightgown but that was the least of her worries. She smiled with relief as they got to the door. She quickly opened it as it creaked with its rusty hinges. She couldn't believe Quince had left it unlocked. He really hadn't thought this through.

"Not so fast!" shouted Quince causing Sarah and Lysander to gasp in shock.

They turned their heads to see Quince standing with his skeleton guards, crossing his arms and giving them an evil smirk. Voices could be heard from outside of the door which Sarah recognised to be the audience who were invited to watch her execution.

"I might have known that pretty boy would come to the rescue" he scoffed.

Sarah tried to quietly open the door a little more but failed to be ignored.

"Going somewhere?" asked Quince. "I doubt you'd get very far."

"At least I could try" she shouted.

"Oh well be my guest" said Quince. "Only don't except fancy pants to be coming with you."

Sarah turned around to look at Lysander. She saw that the guards had already captured him. He tried to struggle but his arm was in too much pain.

"Run Sarah!" shouted Lysander.

"Make one move Sarah and your friends throat will be snapped faster than you can blink."

Sarah noticed that Jareth had used the same expression before. These Underground folk obviously didn't have much of a vocabulary. She closed the door, knowing that she could never leave without Lysander. One of the skeleton guards came behind her and grasped her arms. She and Lysander were dragged back onto the stage. They watched as an even larger cage than before dropped down from the ceiling. They were both pushed inside this time. The guards made sure that Lysander had no weapons and locked the cage so securely, not even the heaviest sumo wrestler on Earth could break through. As soon as they were caged up the main doors opened and the audience started to walk in. There were so many of them; hundreds, maybe even thousands! Some looked like they were humans dressed in fancy regal clothing. Some were blatantly not human at all. Sarah gawped when she saw some of the most ugliest creatures she had ever seen, with brown skin, warts and yellow teeth. They all had eager smiles on their faces, as if they were coming to see the greatest show on earth.

"What now?" Sarah whispered to Lysander.

"I wish I knew" he said honestly.

They looked around at all the people who began to take their seats. Some of them sneered at Sarah. They saw Quince who was greeting everyone at the door. The skeleton guards were staring at Sarah and Lysander on the stage with their cold open mouths. The relief that Sarah had felt a moment ago had turned into terror. She looked at Jareth just to see if he had any ideas. Even if he did it would be hard to understand an owl. But she did notice that he was acting rather strangely. It kept nodding its head like it was trying to tell her something. Sarah nudged Lysander.

"Look at Jareth" she whispered.

Lysander looked at the owl. He was staring at Sarah with it's big beady eyes. Then it lowered it's head to Sarah's chest.

"What's he doing?" she asked.

Looking at Sarah, Lysander gasped.

"Sarah your locket" he said.

"What about it?"

"I totally forgot. That locket is not what you think it is."

"What do you mean, my mother gave me this. It's just an ordinary locket" she whispered.

"No, you only think your mother gave it to you. When your mother left home, that was when you began to turn to the Labyrinth and read the stories. Jareth knew that one day you might come to Labyrinth and that would make you exposed to these threats. So he gave you the locket…to protect you."

"Stop talking!" shouted Quince who then turned back round to greet the guests.

"He can't have" Sarah whispered even more with tars in her eyes. "Dad told me that my mother gave it to me. How could it protect me, it's just a stupid locket with a picture of my mother inside."

"Has it really. Sarah I know you've never been able to open that locket. And that's because it was meant for this time."

Sarah looked down at the pendant. She saw that it was glowing, something that it had never done before.

"There, you see, it's glowing. That means that the time is right. The locket can only be used once. If you open it at the right time, everyone in this room in front of the locket will die. I'm sorry Sarah but as soon as the entire audience is sat down you'll have to open it and kill them all. It's the only way."

"But I'm not a killer, I can't."

"Sarah listen to me. These people are nothing but trouble. They have no compassion. They want you dead. They want me dead and they want Jareth dead. You have to open it."

Sarah started to cry. It was so hard to take all of this in. Her locket was the only thing she thought represented her mothers love, and now she had found out that all this time she was carrying a deadly weapon.

She touched the glowing locket, stared at it for a moment, then hid it down her nightgown so that it was out of sight.

"Okay" she said. "Tell me when, and I'll open it."

"I'm proud of you Sarah" he said as he kissed her cheek.

Then he looked at the owl with embarrassment realising that Sarah was Jareth's, not his. Nevertheless the owl blinked at them, saying that he understood and knew what they had to do. It was only a matter of time before Sarah would open the locket and see if it really would save all of their lives.

* * *

_I'm baaaaaaaaaaack! I've finished this story now so you won't have to wait long for the next and last update._

_P.S. I've started a new story 'Wanted!' if anyone's interested._

_Luv RK!_

_(I have some news. I've created a new Labyrinth site (go to my profile and click on homepage) - I know! And just when you thought i couldn't get any better (joke)! Anyway it's new - and will get better with time. It has some pics, music, quotes, a bit of astrology and a chat room (so us fellow fanfic fan's can chat 2 each other if we wanted). Oh and please sign the guestbook - and do the survey!! See you soon!_


	17. Fourth Wish

It took about ten more minutes until the whole audience had got themselves seated. Even though she now had a plan, Sarah was still trembling with fear.

"On this day…" Quince shouted to his fellow audience, "…we shall witness this girl right here being DESTROYED! So that she will never try to take over the Underground or never tell another a soul about our world. It is a misfortune to take the life away from someone so youthful, but it would be a crime against our nature to not eliminate a potential threat to our race. If anyone hereby objects to this event, speak now and let it be on your conscience that you doubted the Underground Law!"

As expected no one spoke, just sneered at Sarah and her friends.

"Then let it begin!" said Quince as he came up on stage.

Sarah's fear emerged on her expression. She stared with her big moonstone eyes at Quince making her feel like a little child in front of such a powerful man. She felt terrified as her walked up to the cage. Lysander put his hands on her shoulders to comfort her.

"You know what you have to do" he whispered. "When you open that locket. It will kill them all, and you're curse will be lifted, okay?"

She nodded slightly. The cage opened and everyone cheered as Quince pulled her out. He walked her over to the centre of the stage and pushed her down on her knees. Sarah looked out into the audience. She put her fingers on her locket ready to open it when Lysander gave the signal. She saw all of those faces leering at her, knowing that she would have to kill them. How could she do it? Would it make her a real murderer? A criminal? How could she slay thousands of people, human or not, and face her family again? Or face herself? Her heart stopped when she saw Ludo staring at her in the audience clutching a guard in his hand. Poor thing. He was smiling as if he had just saved her life, unaware that Quince would try and kill her any second. What was he doing here. Did this mean that Hoggle and Sir Didymus were there too? She looked around at the rest of the audience. She couldn't see them. But she couldn't open the locket now. If she did she would kill Ludo. Sweat and tears were dripping over her face. What was she to do?

"Go away Ludo" she tried to mouth to him. But it was no use. The dumb beast was stood smiling with the rest of the audience as if he had come to see a cabaret.

She looked up at Quince who was now holding a large battleaxe in his hand ready to swing at her. She heard Lysander cough loudly. That was his signal for her to open the locket. She couldn't, Ludo was still there! He coughed again. Still she didn't open it. Quince raised the battleaxe up high. The audience gazed with anticipation.

"Now Sarah!" Lysander shouted. "Now! Do it!"

Sarah panicked. The battleaxe was coming for her. She looked at Quince then looked at Ludo. She had to do it! If not for herself then for Lysander and Jareth. She clutched the locket tightly and closed her eyes.

"Please don't hurt Ludo" she whispered to herself.

She placed her fingers ready to open the locket, only one of the skeleton guards had seen her. It started to run up to her. Sarah panicked. Quince frowned, wondering what the guard was doing. She'd been caught! Before she could open the locket the guard grabbed hold of her hand and shook the pendant away from her.

But just when Sarah thought all of her hope had gone she heard Jareth behind her screeching as loud as he could, rattling the cage as a distraction.

"What are you doing with _her_?" demanded Quince. "Go and shut that owl up!"

The guard obeyed its master and let go of Sarah. It walked over to the cage and swung it's axe at it. Sarah quickly held her locket again, fearing what the guard would do to Jareth. And with one sharp movement the glowing locket opened...

...All of a sudden there was a beaming white light which filled the whole room. It blinded Sarah. She could no longer see the audience anymore but she could hear them screaming. She couldn't see Quince either but she heard him drop the battleaxe.

"What's going on?" he demanded from behind her.

There was so much noise. The entire room was screaming. Sarah didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She had no idea what was happening but whatever it was it had to be better than what Quince was going to do to her.

"I'm sorry Ludo!" she shouted above all the noise. "I'm sorry!"

She heard noises in front of her and behind her, included Jareth's cage crash to the ground. Then she heard the owl squeal like it was in pain. Oh no! What if the axe had caught him.

"Jareth!" she cried.

"Sarah!" shouted Lysander. "Are you okay!"

She tried to answer but the light and the noise were too much for her and within second she passed out.

* * *

A few minutes later she opened her eyes, thinking that she was going to wake up in a more pleasant place, but to her dismay she was still in the theatre, cold and shaken. All of the audience had vanished, including Ludo. A hand went on her shoulder which made her jump. She turned around relieved to see Lysander. Quince was gone and Jareth was no longer in his cage. 

"Are you okay" he asked.

"Yes I'm fine. Where's Jareth?"

"I don't know. But I have bad news" he said.

"It's Ludo isn't it?"

"Well there's that too...I'm sorry. But no, it's Quince! He worked it out about your locket. He knew you had to be in front of it to be killed. I saw him step back when you opened it. Everyone else has gone. But Quince is still alive!"

"That's right!" said Quince who appeared behind them, crossing his hands and looking extremely cross.

"Quince please" said Lysander. "We're friends aren't we. The others have been killed. There's no one to side with you anymore. Just leave her alone. She won't try to take over the Labyrinth, honest."

"Ha! That's a lie if ever I heard one. The damage has already been done. I said that she'd destroy our world and she has. She has just killed a third of our population. Now it's only right for me to finish of what I started" he said as he put his hands around Sarah's throat."

But before he had the chance to strangle her he fell to the floor, being knocked out by some one behind him.

"You spineless filthy good-for-nothing delinquent" said Jareth, now back in his human form.

"Jareth!" Sarah cried flinging her arms around him. "I'm so glad you're okay."

All of her nervous feelings disappeared when she embraced him. With him she felt safe. She looked into his eyes and smiled. He smiled back. Lysander looked on, a little embarrassed at the scene.

"I'll just go check on Hoggle and the gang" he said awkwardly as he began to walk away.

"Lysander" said Jareth sharply making him turn around, fearing him a little. "Thank you" he said, twitching the corner of his mouth into a smile.

Lysander smiled back bashfully. "Aw come on, it was nothing."

"What do you mean it was nothing" said Sarah. "You saved my life. You've been saving my life all these years and I never even knew it. How can I thank you."

"You don't need to. What you did today is the biggest thanks you could give me. I know how hard it was for you, especially with Ludo in the audience."

Sarah bowed her head remembering her giant friend.

"It wasn't your fault Sarah" said Jareth.

"Yeah he's right" said Lysander. "It was just something you had to do. There was no way you could have let this idiot kill you" he said looking down at Quince.

"Is he dead?" she asked.

"No" said Jareth.

She looked at him in surprise thinking that he would have killed him.

"I've got a much better plan" he said smirking.

* * *

Later on Sarah, Jareth and Lysander were in the throne room at the Goblin Castle surrounded by hundreds of goblins and Underground folk talking about the earlier events. Jareth sat at his throne with Sarah and Lysander stood beside him. Then one of the goblins approached them carrying a tray of champagne. It wore a fancy dark blue suit, gloves and had combed hair. The three of them took a champagne glass without thanking the goblin. It looked very angry. 

"That will be all Quince" smirked Jareth.

Lysander and Sarah laughed as they watched Quince the goblin stomp of as it went to offer all the other guest champagne.

"How long will he stay like that for?" asked Sarah.

"Oh only forever" Jareth said. "Not long at all really" he said smiling at her.

Sarah turned her head to see her remaining friends; Hoggle, Sir Didymus and Ambrosius standing there trying to look proudly at Sarah, but she could see the sadness in their eyes.

"Hoggle" she said as she walked up to them. "Sir Didymus, is Ludo….really, had he…gone?"

"Yes my lady" answered Sir Didymus. "Brave Ludo perished as a hero."

"But it weren't your fault Sarah so don't go blamin' yourself" said Hoggle.

"He's right Sarah, Ludo wouldn't have wanted us to grieve over for him" said Sir Didymus.

"He was always such a happy beast" added Sarah.

She put her arms around her friends as they squeezed each other tightly, saying goodbye to their giant friend.

* * *

Even later on, Jareth and Sarah were on a secluded balcony in the castle. She didn't realise befiore how many surprise areas the castle actually had. Jareth admired her beauty as the wind softly blew her hair from her face. But he could tell something was bothering her. 

"Your mother did love you" he said after a while, realising why she was so sad.

"How do you know" she sighed. "The only thing I thought she'd left me turned out to be a murderous weapon which I've worn for as long as I can remember."

"That was your fourth wish wasn't it? To see your mother."

"Yes" she answered softly.

"Sarah you know that isn't possible" he said.

She paused for a second.

"I know" she whispered quietly. "I just wanted to see her face, even if it wasn't real. I wanted to know that she was okay and wasn't mad at me."

"Sarah that day she died…"

"She was in a car crash. I rang her on the phone a few hours before and yelled at her, telling her that she was a lousy mother because she never came to visit me. The police told me that she was driving too fast…because she was really mad that I yelled at her" she started crying. "Oh Jareth it's all my fault! I killed my mother!"

"Shhh" he said putting his arms around her to comfort her. "It wasn't your fault. She did love you."

"You don't know that" she said.

"Yes I do."

She looked up at him curiously.

"I will grant you your fourth wish. Look" he said as he held his arm and showed her a crystal ball. Sarah gazed inside it and saw an image appearing. It was her mother. It looked like she had just put down the phone from the conversation she had with Sarah. She walked into her living room where she approached a man, the same man who spoke to Sarah at her mothers funeral.

"I'm going to see Sarah" she heard her mother say. "I know what you're thinking, but she's my daughter and I love her. I need to talk to her, tell her that I'm sorry."

Sarah cried as she watched her mother pick up a cardboard box full of her prized possessions; dancing trophies, old soft toys, pictures, games etc. Her mother had kept them. She really did care for her and think about her. Sarah watched and watched, right up until the moment of the car crash. She flinched when she saw her mother's car collide into another. But then noticed that her mother did not die straight away. She managed to stay alive just for a short while as she spoke the police and paramedics. They knew that it was too late to save her, but she before she died Sarah heard her whispered a few words quietly. It was unsure whether the surrounding people actually heard her or not.

"Tell Sarah, my…Sarah…I love her, it's not her fault. Tell her…"

And then she died.

Sarah cried in Jareth's arms as she realised that she know longer needed to mourn anymore. Her mother died knowing that she loved her daughter and that was all that mattered.

* * *

A few hours later and Sarah was ready to go home. 

"I'm afraid it'll be a while before you can come back here again" said Lysander. "The rest of the population still needs to adjust to the fact that so many of their people have been killed. Don't worry they'll soon realise that it was for the best.

Sarah worriedly looked at Jareth. Did this mean that she could never see him again?

"Come come now Sarah, just because you can't visit the Labyrinth doesn't mean I can't come and visit you from time to time now does it" he grinned.

Jareth bent down an whispered something into Sarah's ear which made her smile. Then she straightened up and looked at all of her friends.

"I'll see you all" she said to Jareth and all of the goblins who took no interest in what she was saying.. "Come on Lysander."

"Actually…I think I'm going to stay here for a while" Lysander said.

"What?" she asked.

"Well, I've spent so long on Earth that I forgot how much I missed this place. My mission was to make sure that no harm would come to you and now that I know you're safe I can stop worrying about you. I know that you need time to breathe on your own, without me watching over you. I've watched you grow up beautifully Sarah and now it's time for you to make the most of your life."

"Will I ever see you again?" she asked tearfully.

Lysander laughed.

"Of course you will. I'll always be there for you whenever you need me. All you have to do is call."

Sarah gave her friend a goodbye hug, she took one last look into Jareth's eyes, not saying a proper goodbye to him because she knew she'd see him soon.

* * *

Jareth threw crystal up in the air. Sarah watched as it formed a silent white explosion and sparkles of dust covered over her. When the dust had cleared Sarah found herself in her bedroom. She looked at the clock. It was night. Exaclty the same time as when Quince had first kidnapped her and Jareth. She smiled to herself - at least she could get some sleep, fianlly. She looked at her nice warm bed and saw The Truth In Mythology still in the same place as before. She walked over to the book and looked at the page showing her the Labyrinth and the Minotaur. She frowned knowing that the book didn't have a clue what it was talking about. 

"Ah" said a hoarse voice from behind her.

Startled, she turned around to face the Wiseman and his hat, staring at her through her mirror.

"As in the great myth of Theseus; one must penetrate to the heart of the Labyrinth in search of the great beast, the Minotaur, if they wish to succeed" the Wiseman dictated noticing that Sarah was reading the book.

"But, there was no Minotaur" she said. "I didn't slay any such beast."

"Do you know what lies in the heart of the castle young maiden?" asked the Wiseman.

"The Goblin Castle" she said, surprised that his bird-hat wasn't talking. Then she realised that its mouth had being covered in tape.

"Exactly" said the Wiseman. "And inside that castle lies the beast."

"But Jareth's not a beast" she said.

"No, he isn't. But you thought he was at first didn't you. It was only when you got to know him better that you realised he wasn't purely evil. The Minotaur is just a symbol representing whatever beast may lie in the centre…Do you know what happened to Theseus after he slayed that Minotaur?"

"What?"

"He died. The book says that you must penetrate the heart of the beast, but only because no one has ever tried winning the heart of the beast. You did that, didn't you?"

"Yes I guess I did" she smiled.

"You learnt many things in the Labyrinth. You learnt how you felt about your brother, you learnt how you felt about Jareth and your latest lesson; to recover from the loss of your mother…You learnt to accept that you had not lost her but indeed you have found her."

"Yes you're right" she said. "I found that she did love me and she wasn't mad at me."

"So no more grieving" said the Wiseman.

"Yes. Thank you" she said before she watched him disappear so that all she could see was her own reflection.

She smiled at herself, something she hadn't done in a while. She remembered how just a few days ago she had dark, ghostly eyes and a sour looking expression. All she could see now was a bright, radiant young girl with her whole future ahead of her.

* * *

_Wait for it..._


	18. Epilogue

That night Sarah sat on her bed looking happier than she had looked all week. Even the knock on her bedroom door didn't startle her. She sighed thinking it was probably Karen, worrying about her again. She walked over to the door an opened it. She couldn't help but smile when she saw her father grinning at her.

"Dad!" she gasped.

"Hi honey" he said as he gave her a hug.

After getting reacquainted he walked into Sarah's room and sat on her bed.

"I'm sorry I was away for your mother's funeral" he said. "I know it was a very difficult time for you. Karen told me that you haven't been acting yourself lately."

"No it's fine dad. I admit that it was hard at first but I know now that she did love me, and wouldn't want me to mourn for her."

Her father kissed her on the forehead. He had never shown her so much affection before.

"I'm proud of you" he said.

She thanked him with a warm smile.

"Well, it's late. I'll leave you to get some sleep…goodnight" he said as he walked out of the room and shut the door.

As soon as he went Sarah flopped face down on to her bed, thinking about the chaos of the past week. So much had happened to her and her family were completely oblivious.

"You didn't think you'd get away without saying a proper goodbye again did you?" said Jareth from behind.

Sarah laughed and looked up.

"Jareth, it's really late and I'm tired" she said.

"Sarah!" he said in a playfully strict tone. "I haven't come to deprive you of your sleep, what kind of villain do you think I am…I just came to drop off this" he said as he pulled out Lancelot from under his black cloak.

Sarah frowned at the bear. She took it off him and walked over to her closet. She shoved the bear at the back of it. Jareth looked at her confusedly.

"I don't need it anymore" she said. "I don't need to mourn anymore. My mother belongs in the past. It's time to start thinking about the present."

She smiled at him, but he noticed that Sarah was still troubled by something. Her face showed signs of sadness.

"What's wrong" he said.

"It just feels like it's all over now. I mean I hated the threats but still, it was kind of a fun adventure. In a way I kind of liked being around magic again, even if I was cursed."

"Why Sarah, it's not the end" Jareth smiled. She looked up at him "The fun's only just started!" he said grinning almost wickedly at her.

* * *

_The End…_

_Hope the ending didn't disappoint you too much. I never really plan the endings of my stories properly. I'll let you into a secret - Quince being the leader of_ _the threats was a last minute idea!! And Ludo…he always seems to die in my stories doesn't he. Maybe that should be my trademark. Anyway, for those of you who still like me, I won't keep away for long as I have already started a new story and I know - I've still got Diary Secrets (even though I'm not sure where I'm going with that). As I said on the last chapter, you should check out my Labyrinth website. I'm on there from time to time, and there is other cool Labyrinth-related stuff to see and do. _

_Oh and I never said this at the beginning so: I do not own any characters from the movie Labyrinth. The Labyrinth characters and events in the movies belong to the very talented Jim Henson..._

_…But I do own the man at the funeral, Lysander, Wanda the goblin-witch, extras in the background, Kathy, Mary, Susan, Angela, man at party, maybe Sarah's mother, paramedics and doctor, and most of the scenery and objects. Did I forget anyone..._

_Thank you for all of the reviews on this story, Ashes To Ashes has done the best out of all my stories so far and I hope people will continue to review even if you're reading this in the far far future. I will be checking! Actually I might as well thank all of you personally (just for fun so you can all be included) Nitingale, Katchelle87, notwritten, MariaBelloFan, Ladye Jessica Elizabeth, Myra of the Flame, Hakkai Ottaku, Wolf.at.Heart, Xaviere Jade, best thing in life is stories, yodeladyhoo, Erikslittleangel13, NoSortOfMuse, ImBettingOnAlice, JarethLover, musicalexpert, Sintar, lAbYrinTh0fr0s3es, dragoneyes171986, LabyLvrPhx, susiefu, Nopa LaMais, roesbud, Rowen Lovecroft, Emperor Jaden, Kidonia Shinji, Anri..._

_What a weird bunch of names. If you want to see yours on here then all you gotta do is review._

_P.S. Please post something in my forum And The Award Goes To._

_See you later alligator, in a while crocodile. _

_Luv RK!_


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